ReiSenzai: Possession
by Juura99
Summary: Horrible nightmares and blackouts, missing people and an underground maze of darkness. Sasuke and Naruto, and the rest of Rei-Senzai, are faced with a new horror, and are challenged by an old foe. Warnings and full summary inside. Sequel to Rei-Senzai Inc
1. A Bad Day is the Start of A Better Week

**Summary: **It has been a month and a half since the 'Orphanage Incident' as the crew have come to call it. Sasuke has missed Naruto, not having seen the blonde in so long. The crew has been on a bit of a break, no new jobs coming through since their adventure at the Sarutobi Orphanage. However, high school student Tora Emi comes in one day, with a request to save her friends, who have gone missing.

With the help of a few old friends, as well as a few new faces, Sasuke, Naruto and the crew of Rei-Senzai begin a race to find the missing girls and save them from the horrors lurking below the streets of Konoha. But things may prove to be harsh for the two lovers, especially when an old enemy resurfaces, threatening their relationship as well as Sasuke's sanity.

Will everything turn out okay, or will they be lost to the darkness of underground Konoha, and the recesses of their own, fragile minds?

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**YO!**

**Hello everyone! It's great to be back! *is on stage talking into mic* Well, as I promised, here is the first chapter of the Rei-Senzai Inc. Sequel! *applause***

**Yes, now this part is called 'Possession'. *smirks* I'm sure that already gives a clue as to what can be expected in this instalment, ne? *glances off to side* **

**Time for the disclaimers, warnings and other such stuff, I guess.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. But I do own the Rei-Senzai plot...as well as all . They're my babies to torture as I please. *grins sadistically***

**Warnings: Horror, BoyxBoy romance, blood, insanity and bad puns.**

**And so, for the story you've all been waiting for, I give you REI-SENZAI 2 POSSESSION!

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**A Bad Day is the Start of a Better Week.**

The walls were painted a dark blue, and were mostly empty except for the odd photograph or poster. The carpet, a deep, plush blue complimented the walls, creating an almost evening effect, even though the sunlight streamed through the curtains like a river of gold.

The bed was pressed up against the wall, despite being a double, and the blankets were a bright orange, clashing with the blue. However, it was not all bad.

Sticking out from the edge of the orange comforter, were two pale, bare feet.

These feet belonged to one Uchiha Sasuke, who was still fast asleep, his brain turning with a dream that made no sense whatsoever, but seemed enough to keep him in the lulls of a deep slumber.

If one were to inch back the covers, they would find his hair a complete mess, splayed about his face as if caught in a whirlwind and frozen. A thin line of drool trickled from the corner of his mouth and down to the sheets, and soft snores could be heard. Occasionally, he would sniffle or mumble incoherently, often making the world famous 'nomnomnom' sound.

And it was in this most un-Uchiha like state that his older brother, Uchiha Itachi, also known as the Devil's Spawn, came creeping in at eight in the morning, camera in one hand, megaphone in the other, and a smirk to scare the living daylights out of the grim reaper on his face.

Gracefully, and silently, Itachi sauntered over to the bed, and gently eased the cover away from his darling little brother's face. He raised the camera, aiming it skilfully and pressing the little button. A digital 'snap' sounded and Itachi held back an evil snicker as he got a look at the picture. Oh, it was such excellent blackmail material.

Placing the camera into his pocket, Itachi leant a bit closer, putting the megaphone to his mouth and grinning wickedly as he gently pressed the button.

Sasuke made another 'nom' sound, before stilling. Itachi took a deep breath and...

"GOOD MORNING ICHIGO!"** (1)**

Sasuke screamed, launching out of bed and running blindly into the wall in his fright. He sprawled up against the wallpaper before slowly tipping back and landing with a final thud onto the floor, letting out a grunt even as Itachi fell onto the bed, laughing his ass off.

Sasuke pulled himself up and glared at his brother. "What the fuck Itachi?" he snapped, rubbing his forehead where he could feel a bruise forming.

Itachi took a deep breath, looked down at his brother, and then burst out laughing once again at the sight.

Sasuke was sitting on the floor, his legs spread wide and his left arm hanging limply between them while his right reached up to rub the sore sport on his forehead. Somehow, Sasuke's hair had stayed in its mussed state, the strands sticking out horizontally to the side, while some of his bangs were still stuck to his face. The line of drool was still there.

"My little brother, you look positively endearing." Itachi snorted, covering his mouth and laughing into his hand when Sasuke blinked bemusedly.

The young Uchiha stumbled to his feet, his vest rumpled and his boxers riding up. He grumbled and relieved himself of an irritating wedgie, uncaring that his brother saw. He was at home, so it didn't matter if he forgot his manners.

Trudging over to the mirror, all the while grumbling curses at Itachi, Sasuke blinked at his reflection. He scowled. "I look like shit."

Itachi smirked. "Why yes...Yes you do." He stated.

Sasuke threw a glare over his shoulder. "You as much of an ass as ever, I see." He scoffed.

Itachi grinned. "But of course."

Sasuke shook his head. '_Why me?_' he thought and walked over to the bed, falling onto his stomach and burying his face in the blanket. "What was with the greeting? Do I look like a strawberry to you?" he asked grumpily, raising an eyebrow at his brother.

Itachi shrugged. "Not at all. But I was watching Bleach earlier, and that's how Ichigo's father greets him in the mornings. So I decided to give it a try." He smirked. "I have to say it was most enjoyable watching you scream."

Sasuke snorted. "You know, I'm pretty sure there's some sadism in that statement."

"Oh yes. Plenty of it." Itachi confirmed with a nod.

Sasuke yawned and stretched. "So what are you doing here?"

Itachi eased off the bed and brushed his shirt off. "Just wanted to tell you, your school starts in an hour and Kisame can't give you a lift. You'll have to walk."

Itachi ran out of the room as a pillow was aimed at his head. "IT'S A HALF HOUR WALK!" Sasuke yelled angrily.

Itachi's only reply was a loud shout of "Then you'd better hurry!" followed by evil laughter.

Oh, he did enjoy messing with his little brother.

* * *

Sasuke was grumbling loudly as he stormed into the classroom, out of breath after running the whole way. He'd had one of the shortest showers of his life, his hair was still a bit odd, and his uniform was ruffled as he hadn't taken the extra time to primp it a bit.

Ignoring the curios glances of his earlier classmates he stomped over to his seat and sat down, crossing his arms and huffing.

As soon as he had gotten comfortable, a pair of arms wrapped around his neck and a high pitched squeal sounded in his ear. He winced and scowled. "Get off of me Karin." He snapped.

She laughed and withdrew. "It's nice to see you too Sasuke." She said with a smirk.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and kept staring ahead. '_If Karin is here than that means he isn't too far behind._' He thought dully.

Sure enough, as soon as Karin had taken her seat in front of Sasuke, a loud voice sounded behind him.

"Mercy on my _soul_! If it isn't the _all powerful_ Duck-Butt!"

Sasuke growled and turned to glare at the silver-headed boy behind him. "Shut up Suigetsu."

Hozuki Suigetsu cackled, and sat down next to Sasuke, wrapping an arm over the raven's shoulders and staring at him. "So, where has your ass been, Sasuke?" he asked.

Sasuke shrugged the offending limb off. "None of your business." He retorted.

Karin turned in her seat, studying him. "Was it that job of yours? Did you have to go shatter the supernatural dreams of some crazy old bat again?" she asked, and giggled.

Sasuke frowned. "You know, my job isn't something to be taken lightly." He stated evenly.

Suigetsu smirked. "Of course not. Because ghosts are real!" then he laughed. "The way you talk Sasuke, it's almost like you've started believing in all that paranormal crap." He chuckled.

Sasuke kept blank faced. _'Oh, you have no idea._' His hand went to the spot on his shoulder, where the strange, tri-comma like marking he had received a long while ago was residing.

He bit his cheek as the mark burned under his touch, and quickly withdrew his fingers.

Ever since he had gotten that mark, his nightmares had changed. Now, instead of seeing his dead parents, his dreams were filled with screams and flashes of torture. And lots of snakes. There were always millions of snakes, slithering all over the place and hissing loud enough to sound like the spray of the ocean.

And then there was Naruto. Several times, the blonde had appeared in his dream, always in a different place and situation. The first time, he had been standing nearby, his eyes watching the scenes of torture blankly. When Sasuke had tried to touch him, he had vanished.

The second time, he had been chained to a wall, still silent. Sasuke had pulled on the chains, calling out to him, but nothing.

Finally, the third and most recent time, Naruto had been carried by faceless shadows, heading towards one of the more sinister looking torture devices. Sasuke had struggled against an onslaught of snakes, reaching out and screaming for the blonde. But once again, he received no answer before he awoke suddenly.

"..uke...Sasuke...SASUKE!" a hand waved in front of his face, snapping him out of his memory of his nightmares and he looked up to see two concerned faces peering at him.

"Are you okay?" Karin asked, lowering her hand. Sasuke blinked before glancing away.

"I'm fine."

Suigetsu pouted. "No you're not. You were glaring into space and you were mumbling about 'unresponsive idiots'." Suddenly, the boy looked sly. "Don't tell me..." he started snickering, causing both Sasuke and Karin to stare at him.

"What's so funny?" Sasuke snapped. Suigetsu had three fingertips pressed over his mouth, a weird smile curving his lips. He also had a slight pink tinge to his cheeks as he surveyed the raven.

"You got a boyfriend, didn't you?" Suigetsu smirked.

Sasuke stiffened, keeping his eyes to the side. "I have no idea what you're talking about." He grit out.

However, that seemed as good as a confession for the two idiots next to him. Suigetsu burst out laughing, slapping his knees in mirth, while Karin giggled and scooted closer.

"So, who is it? Someone we know?" she asked eagerly.

Sasuke pushed her away. "Get away from me. And no, I'm not telling you shit." He said coldly in reply to her pout.

"So, your boyfriend is an unresponsive idiot? What's the matter Sasu-chan? You can't satisfy him?" Suigetsu teased.

If the bell had not rung just then, the students would have been privy to the sight of Sasuke throwing the silver-haired teen right out the window.

However, as soon as their homeroom teacher, Mitarashi Anko stormed in and yelled "Get to your seats you maggots!" Sasuke's plan was put on hold.

* * *

The rest of the day was spent with Sasuke avoiding the questions from his two supposed 'friends' Suigetsu and Karin. He tried, several times, to throttle the boy, but each time he was thwarted.

Finally, when there was only two more lessons before the day was brought to an end, they were back in Anko-sensei's class for Science.

"Alright you little wasps, today we'll be dissecting bullfrogs!" she called, clapping her hands together and cackling evilly.

Sasuke sighed while Suigetsu rolled his eyes and Karin grimaced. "Honestly, whoever gave that woman a teaching license should be shot." She whispered. The two boys agreed.

As the class began their work, Sasuke found himself drifting, his thoughts straying to the blonde known as Uzumaki Naruto.

'_It's been way to long since I saw him. He said we'd see each other again, but when? Stupid dobe._' He thought, glaring down at his half opened frog.

Just then, a loud squeal came from the rooms overhead announcement speakers, causing several students to cry out and cover their ears. Sasuke winced, but refrained from calling out "Oh my god, my ears just died!" like Suigetsu did.

The voice of the secretary sounded clearly in the classroom. "Mitarashi-sensei, a man and his son will be visiting your classroom with Principal Raikage. The boy is going to be a student here, and we're planning on placing him into your classroom."

Anko walked to her desk and pressed the small button that would allow her to answer. "No problem. I'll be waiting." She said, and switched off.

The class resumed their activities, some whispering curiously about the supposed new student. Suigetsu sidled up to Sasuke, nudging him. "Who do you think the new student is going to be?" he whispered.

Sasuke glared at him. "Well if we knew, he wouldn't exactly be a _new student_ would he?"

Karin giggled maliciously as Suigetsu frowned, and soon the two engaged in a soft bickering match. Sasuke only shook his head and continued slicing up the poor, helpless creature in front of him.

When he was busy looking distastefully at the frogs internal organs, there came a sharp rap at the door.

Anko looked up. "Come in!" she called, wiping her hands on her jeans and stepping out from behind a desk to greet the principal and new arrivals.

The door slid open and their principal stepped in. "Mitarashi-sensei." He greeted and stepped aside to let the others through.

Sasuke looked up lazily, his hand moving to push aside a small bit of frog-skin when the 'new student' stepped in.

Shocking, bright blonde hair, tan skin, whisker marks and bright, eager azure blue eyes.

His mouth falling open in shock, Sasuke didn't notice where his hand was heading until it was too late. The bottom of his palm slipped on a bit of frog fat, and he was sent sprawling over the counter as he tried to regain balance. In the process, he managed to knock his, as well as Suigetsu and Karin's frog trays clear off the table, sending them to the floor with a loud crash. Suigetsu yelled out while Karin screeched in disgust as frog guts splattered over them, and Sasuke lost his footing and crashed to the floor, one hand still up on the table while the other was bent underneath his chest.

The class had fallen silent, staring at the three of them, but mainly Sasuke, who groaned and tried to pull himself up. No one had ever, ever seen _the_ Uchiha Sasuke have an accident like that before.

Suddenly, there was a snort, before someone burst out into loud laughter. Heads snapped to the front of the room to see the unknown blonde clutching his stomach and laughing his ass off.

Sasuke, his arms and torso covered in frog juices, pulled himself to his feet and turned to stare at the laughing blonde, hardly daring to believe his own eyes. '_Naruto?_'

The blonde in question finally managed to control his laughter, letting it morph into occasional snickers as he straightened up and crossed his arms. His blue eyes were bright with amusement and joy as he grinned.

"Yo, Sasuke-teme."

Sasuke felt his heart skip a beat as that voice reached his ears, and he couldn't stop the wide smile that curved his face.

"Dobe!" he murmured.

Naruto winked as the man behind him stepped up and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Well, this was an interesting reunion." Jiraiya said, amused.

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**(1)- Yes, it's the loving greeting Ichigo's father gives him every morning right before trying to kick him our of bed, or something of that matter...this is also the way my cousin greets me when she visits...often breaking down my door, screaming this at the top of her lungs before glomping me...ah, memories.**

**It's a short chapter, I understand. Well, short compared to what I usually write.**

**But but! It's enough to get you going, ne?**

**Enjoy and, as always, REVIEW, my pretties!**

**(not sure when the next chapter will be out,...I've finished three but I want to keep a bit of a headstart so that I don't end up having to post a chapter right after finishing it. Ehehe. Also, updates might be slow as I'm working on Online! as well...it's going good!)  
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	2. Enter! Uzumaki Naruto

***Door is broken down and Juura runs in, screeching to a halt just before hitting the wall and turns to face you all***

**YO! How is ya'll doing? Good? Good.**

**So, I'm updating this chapter a bit early...why? I'll tell you why... BECAUSE I CAN! *crazy laughter* Maa, maa...but I', working on chapter 4 now...it's a delicate thing, so it might take me some time...also I'm trying to work on Online! too...and that chapter is kind of like a bridge to the next part of it, you know...introducing a new problem for them, ya know?**

**Oh! And because I love reviews so much *passer by coughs and mutters 'review whore'* SHUT UP YOU! *shoots passer by* Anyway, as I was saying...since reviews make me happy and motivated, I decided to change my setting and I now allow anonymous reviews! Yay! So if you're reading my story, and you don't have an account, please leave a review nonetheless, as it would be great to know you enjoy my story.**

**And as for any potential flamers...well... *smirks* I'll just wait and see what happens... *wicked grin***

**WELL I'm done with my ramblings. Only the warnings and disclamier left, I suppose.**

**Warnings: YAOI! (if you've read the first one, which you kind of should have before reading this, then you know this is a SasuNaru, and this warning is pretty pointless) Swearing, bad pranks and puns, and lalalalalala...that's all.)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto...but after watching the latest episode(and seeing Sasuke get pecked by an ostrich) I'm in a good mood and so will not complain.**

**NEXT CHAPTER BEGINS NOW!...Okay...NOW!... OH COME ON IT STARTS NO-*is cut off by start of chapter*  
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Enter Uzumaki Naruto!**

On that particular morning, the sun seemed so much brighter than usual, but even so, the bright rays were not able to penetrate the thick curtains that kept the room in total darkness.

The carpet was thin, but was beige in colour, working well with the creamy white walls. A dark wood bed was in the middle of the room, with a large, soft and extremely comfortable blanket atop it.

Uzumaki Naruto stuck his head through the door, taking in the room before his attention was drawn to the bed by a loud snore that reminded him of a truck backing up more than a human.

From his spot in the doorway, he spotted the large mane of white hair, and a mischievous grin took over his face. He ducked back out of the room and ran down the hallway, the smell of fresh paint assaulting his nose. He avoided the several buckets of paint stacked up to the side and headed into the kitchen.

He paused for a moment, admiring the darkwood cabinets, grey granite counters and the brand new fridge, stove and other smaller appliances.

The red tile floor beneath his feet was cold, and he hopped from foot to foot trying to keep some semblance of warmth in them.

He hopped over to the pantry, pulling it open and peering inside. He hummed happily, tapping his chin as he surveyed his many options.

It was almost as if he was shopping. "What shall I use today?" he whispered to himself, his blue eyes roving over the chocolate sauce, the peanut butter and then finally landing on the unopened whipped cream bottle. "Perfect!" he said gleefully, and reached in to extract his choice.

With a giggle that could only be described as pure evil, he tiptoed back to the main bedroom and eased the door open and slid inside.

He glanced around, taking in his surroundings. '_Okay, so I'll get it ready, then let that feather I saved slowly float down, while I hide in the bathroom._' He thought and nodded happily at his plan.

He crept closer to the bed and eased back the covers, revealing the large, snoring face of Jiraiya. Grinning, Naruto gently pulled the man's hand out of the covers and placed it down, palm up.

He squirted a very large amount of whipped cream onto the man's hand, keeping his eyes open in case Jiraiya showed signs of waking up. When he snuck back to his own room, hardly sparing a glance to the deep blue covers and the raven plush in the corner. Grabbing a rather large feather he had found and decided to keep for better uses, he rushed back to Jiraiya's room and smirked at seeing the man hadn't moved.

"Time to wake up, Ero-sennin." He murmured, and gently dropped the feather above the man's face, knowing it would land on his nose.

Before the feather reached its target, Naruto was heading for the bathroom. He yanked the door open and stepped inside.

He did not expect the floor to be so slippery, and let out a yell as he skidded forwards before toppling backwards, his arms flying every which way as he tried to catch himself.

He landed on his butt, luckily not hard enough to damage anything, but enough to make him grunt in surprise and slight pain.

A second after he had landed, he heard a snort and a wet slap. There was silence for a total of thirty seconds before...

"NARUTOOO!"

* * *

Naruto fiddled with the sleeve of his shirt, his body often jerking along with the bus as it rode over bumps. Next to him, Jiraiya was varying between ogling at a young lady opposite him and scribbling something down into his notebook.

"You're such a pervert." Naruto muttered, watching as Jiraiya's cheeks lit up again as the woman shifted her legs, her skirt riding up a bit.

"Hmph! You be quiet. I'm still mad at you for this morning." Jiraiya huffed, scribbling something down.

Naruto scoffed. "Oh please! It's not like you didn't get revenge already." He narrowed his eyes. "When in the hell did you put the oil on the bathroom floor anyway?" he asked.

Jiraiya turned to grin at him. "Last night before I went to bed. I figured you'd try something, so I decided to put my two cents in." He said cheerily.

Naruto shook his head, grinning. "You're so weird."

"And I'm your father. That means you're going to get weird in due time." Jiraiya answered.

Naruto felt his chest warm at that. He had a father now. His grin widened.

He turned to stare out the window, his mind drifting back to the day Jiraiya gave him the offer.

* * *

_Jiraiya grabbed his shoulder and pulled him off, cutting off his route to Sasuke. Naruto just went along with minimal protest, noticing the slightly nervous look on Jiraiya's face._

_When they finally came to a stop by the pool, Jiraiya freed him and turned to study him carefully. "Naruto...I have an offer." He started bluntly._

_Naruto paused, his head rising out of its slightly depressed slump. "And offer?" he repeated slowly._

_Jiraiya nodded and cleared his throat. They stood in silence for a moment before Naruto got impatient._

"_I'm not a mind reader, Ero-sennin. What offer?" he asked._

_Jiraiya scowled and ruffled his hair. "Brat. Anyway, my offer is, well...more of a half-offer, half request..." he said, rubbing his head._

_Naruto blinked, not at all used to seeing the old man look quite so,...uncomfortable. 'What kind of offer is this? Oh man, I hope he doesn't want me to star in some porno movie of his.' He thought wearily._

"_W-what is it?" _

_Jiraiya mumbled something to himself before sighing. "Agh, I might as well come out and say it." He looked Naruto directly in the eye. "I want to adopt you, kid."_

_At hearing that, Naruto was thrown for the biggest loop he'd ever felt, and had it not been for Jiraiya placing a strong hand on his shoulder, he was sure he would have careened over the edge and into the pool from his surprise and shock._

"_Y-You want t-to do w-what?" he stammered, hardly daring to believe what he had heard._

_Jiraiya looked a bit amused, and he chuckled lightly. "I said I wanted to adopt you. As in, you become my son, I become your father. I take you home and use you for free manual labour. All that jazz." He explained, smirking at the end._

_Naruto stared at him, mouth gaping open. He wanted to adopt him? He wanted to be his dad? Was he mixing medications or something?_

"_B-but...why? Why now?" he asked softly. Jiraiya once again looked uncomfortable._

"_I wanted to do it earlier, but you know, I just...never found the right moment. I wanted to ask you first, since you were already so grown up, so you might have wanted something different. And now, well, this is the best time. If you don't have any objections then you can come and live with me. I've recently brought a new apartment, quite a ways into the town. You could enter high school. And I mean a real high school." He sighed, running a hand through his hair before slapping a hand on Naruto's shoulder._

"_All in all, I'm asking if you would like me to be your father. I have the forms ready and complete. All I need to do is turn them in. But if you don't want this, then I'll leave them be." He patted the shoulder twice before turning and making his way back to the front. "Give me your answer tomorrow morning. It's your life, kid." He said and disappeared from sight.

* * *

_

A sharp rap of knuckles on the top of his head brought him out of his memory, and he turned to scowl at Jiraiya, rubbing his head. "What?"

"We're at the school." Jiraiya pointed, and Naruto looked back to see the outline of the large Konoha High School building. He felt excitement well up in his chest, and didn't even bother to hide the huge smile.

"Awesome!" he cheered. Jiraiya laughed next to him.

"I doubt you'll be saying that after a week here." He assured and stood as the bus came to a stop.

Naruto followed him off the bus excitedly, his eyes sparkling. Together they walked up to the large gates, the shiny sign portraying the school's name and motto glinting in the sunlight.

Naruto gave an excited laugh before lunging, wrapping his legs and arms around Jiraiya's bulkier frame.

Jiraiya grunted, but took the attack in good stride, reaching back and supporting Naruto while the boy rambled on excitedly.

"You know, I'm pretty sure it isn't considered cool for a sixteen year old to get piggy back rides from their old man." Jiraiya said as they headed for the doors.

Naruto scoffed. "Who cares what the rest of them think? I'm excited, and happy, so I'm going to do weird things!" he said happily.

Jiraiya snorted. "I think you forgot to mention hyper." He teased, and Naruto nodded.

"Yeah, that too!"

They laughed and walked through the front doors. As they approached the desk, a golden gleam caught Naruto's eye. He pulled himself away from Jiriaya, leaving the man to discuss the boring details with the receptionist while he went to explore. The gleam had come from a glass case, in which several trophies were displayed. The students who had earned the prizes were listed to the side, with small photographs included.

Naruto scanned the list, smiling. '_I'm going to get on this list! Believe it!_' he thought determinedly, grinning.

Suddenly, his eyes landed on a name that made his heart forget to beat and his brain go mushy.

'_Uchiha Sasuke._'

He stared at the name blankly, his lips slightly parted in surprise and his eyes slowly getting wider and wider.

Jiraiya finished speaking with the receptionist, and tore himself away from the sight of her large breasts to find his energetic, adoptive son. He paused, seeing Naruto staring at a list near the trophy case. "Naruto?" he asked, walking up to the still blonde.

Naruto turned to gape at Jiraiya, pointing at the name and moving his mouth like a fish. "Sa...Sa...Sa..." he breathed, still getting over his surprise.

Jiraiya stared at him, not at all sure what had gone wrong. "Uh...what?"

Naruto began jabbing his finger at the name, giving up on talking as it seemed for once in his life words were failing him. Jiraiya leant down and easily spotted the name.

He grinned. "Well, well. It looks like we chose the right school." He said.

The surprise finally wore off, and was replaced by pure excitement and joy. Naruto's face was in danger of splitting in half his grin was so wide. He was practically vibrating with happiness, and Jiraiya sensed an oncoming explosion. "Calm down, kid! Don't go all 'Happy Hulk' on me." He warned.

Naruto nodded, settling down with difficulty. '_Sasuke is here! Sasuke is here! I wonder what class he's in. I wonder if I'll be in his class! Oh man, that would be awesome!_' he thought.

The receptions called them back as a large, dark-skinned man with a stern looking face stepped out of an office. "I am the principal of this fine school. I will be showing you around, so that you may see whether or not this school is what you're looking for. I will also show you your homeroom classroom, should you decide to stay." He said in a gruff voice, and motioned for them to follow.

The tour was exciting, to say the least. Naruto was fascinated by almost everything, having never been to a real school before. He loved the sports field and the gymnasium the most, being the active boy he was. He was even excited by the library, although the amount of books there made him dizzy and he had to be led out by Jiraiya before he could start rambling about literature.

Several times, they passed a student walking through the halls on an errand for a teacher. Each time, the student would pause and bow to the principal respectfully, and the principal would return it in kind.

They were shown several classrooms, each one filled with students who nodded respectfully and smiled. Naruto couldn't dull the grin on his face as he looked at everyone. He was so excited.

However, there was the slight spark of disappointment in his chest each time he failed to spot a familiar head of raven hair in the style of a duck's butt.

"Okay then, we shall be heading down to Mitarashi-sensei's classroom. She will be your homeroom teacher." Principal Raikage said, and led them down a long hallway on the second floor.

They arrived outside a sliding door, and the principal knocked.

"Come in!" a female voice called.

The principal slid the door open and stepped inside before allowing them to come in.

As Naruto stepped through the door, his eyes seemed to hone in on a pair of onyx, and he was met with the surprised face of none other than Sasuke.

In an instant, everything slowed down.

Naruto watched as Sasuke slipped, his torso sliding across the table before slipping to the floor while his hand groped for something to stop himself. The two other occupants of the table let out indignant yells as frog guts and other such things covered them while the rest of their work scattered to the floor.

Naruto gaped as Sasuke groaned.

Then he laughed.

Loud and hard, clutching his stomach as tears threatened to escape. He gasped for breath, hearing the raven stand.

He gathered as much of his composure as he could and faced Sasuke, crossing his arms and smirking.

"Wow teme, I never thought you'd be such a clutz."

* * *

**And so there you see how Naruto's morning was... **

**.**

**.**

**. LOVE ME! *is shot***

**Hahaha, I'm on a caffeine buzz, so forgive my utter randomness... Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter, and reviews would be greatly appreciated!**

**See you all next time, ne?  
**


	3. Long Time No See

**GOOD MORNING ICHIGO! *burst through and looks around* O.O oh shit, wrong anime...**

**XD! HI everyone! So sorry this is quite late... *bows* but I've been a bit busy lately, and haven't had much drive to really write, ya know. *grumbles* stupid writers block after effects...**

**BUT! I finished chapter 4 now, so I can begin on chapter five. For now, you get chapter 3, but don't worry, I seem to be getting more of a drive for this story now so YAY ME!**

**Also, a HUGE THANKS to everyone who reviewed! You're all awesome and I love you all! *hugs***

**Oh! I also have one question...I'm curious to know if there are any guys reading my stuff...cause if there is, you know..that's awesome. I'm pretty sure there is one, but because I have the memory of a brain dead chicked, I can't remember for sure (sorry to that guy, by the way! *bows*) But if you are a guy, and you're reading this let me know so I can count my fanboys! :P (or my male haters, whichever comes first)**

**Now, I'm finished stalling! On with the story!  
**

**

* * *

Long Time No See!**

Sasuke was restless.

He was fully aware that practically everyone in the class was watching him, but he didn't care. He was too busy glaring at the clock for being so. Bloody. _Slow_.

Honestly, what was it about time that it would drag its feet when you really wanted it to hurry the fuck up?

He tapped his fingers impatiently, ignoring the slightly irritated look his teacher gave him. He didn't care if he was annoying her. He just wanted the day to end.

He needed to go meet Naruto.

After the little fiasco in the science lab, Naruto had told him he would meet him at the cafe down the road once school was over.

And Sasuke was about ready to implode on himself, he was so anxious. He hadn't seen the blonde in over a month, and suddenly he shows up in his classroom, claiming to be a new student that would start the very next week.

Sasuke was almost scared to pinch himself, just in case he would wake up.

He was sure that if this did turn out to be some sick dream, he would borrow some of Deidara's explosives and blow some shit up.

He was snapped out of his daydream of the school exploding when a small ball of paper collided with the side of his face. Although he didn't move an inch, his eyebrow began twitching as his lips thinned out into a white line.

'_Whoever threw that is dead._' He decided. His eyes moved to the right, following the offending objects projector path back until he found the culprit. '_Suigetsu._' He mentally sighed. Of course it would be him.

Giving the boy one of his best glares, he mouthed "What?", showing his aggravation by scowling.

Suigetsu motioned to the small paper before turning his attention back to the front, a slight smirk on his face.

Sasuke looked at the item warily. With a slow pace, he unfolded the paper and read the words.

_Sasuke,_

_That blonde kid earlier...he was your boyfriend wasn't he?_

_I have to say man, you've got good taste. That guy had the tightest ass I've ever seen!_

_Don't suppose you'd share?_

_Lots of love,_

_Suigetsu._

Sasuke's eyebrow twitched uncontrollably, and he full out turned to glare at the grinning boy. "What the fuck is wrong with you?" he hissed. Although the teacher didn't hear, several of the closest students did, and the room was filled with tension as Sasuke glared at the silver haired boy.

Suigetsu put on an innocent face. "Whatever do you mean? Come on, Sasuke-kun! Share with me!" he said playfully.

Sasuke threw his pencil case at him, scoring a hit directly on the other's forehead. Suigetsu cried out, covering his face while Sasuke hissed "Keep away from him, or else I'll rip your balls out through your ass!"

Karin snickered from her seat, but after Suigetsu threw a paper ball at her, they began a silent war.

Sasuke returned his glare to the clock, and this time it seemed that even the gods of time became intimidated, as a few seconds later the bell rang, signalling the long day was finally over.

Sasuke slung his bag over his shoulder and quickly left the classroom, not even bothering with goodbyes as he rushed down the halls and out the main door.

He broke out into a jog, his steps seeming to echo in his own ears as people passed by in a blur. He could only see the route to the small cafe, and in his mind it seemed to be lit up with golden lanterns and fat little cherubs.

'_...Wait..._' He froze, his one leg raised in a step as that mental image caught up with him. He staggered a bit, placing a hand on the wall to keep himself upright as he stared wide-eyed at nothing. '_W-what's with these girly thoughts? Fucking golden lanterns and fat little cherubs? The fuck?_' he thought frantically.

He shook his head, trying to rid himself of the sudden surge of girlishness and despicable love-sick side effects. '_Dammit...what has that idiot done to me?_' he wondered, slowly resuming his walk.

He couldn't help but feel excited though. He was well aware that his feelings for Naruto were love. And if not, then they were a hair's breadth away from becoming love, so either way...

'_But still. I'm an Uchiha for Pete's sake...I can't get all mushy and emotional like that...fucking cherubs, of all things._'

He finally calmed himself down, able to walk to the cafe doors with a straight face and no emotion on his face whatsoever.

He stepped through the doors, and was hit with a wave of various scents of cinnamon, apple, honey and strong coffee.

The cafe was a very comfy place, with dark walls and small booths that offered considerable privacy. Students often retreated here after a day of school to enjoy the multiple pastries and other treats that were offered, and one could see several people with laptops sitting near the back, some watching people while others typed furiously at projects or work assignments.

Sasuke looked around, trying to see if his blonde was anywhere in sight. He felt a dull thud in his stomach when he failed to locate the head of pure gold, and his shoulders slumped a bit.

"I guess I'm early." He muttered.

"OI TEME!"

Sasuke took an involuntary step to the side, and narrowly avoided the blur of yellow and orange that rushed passed him. There was a shout and a loud squeak of shoes on wood, before Sasuke got a very fine view of Naruto's ass as the boy fell flat on his face.

"Ouch." Naruto groaned, his behind in the air and his hands splayed beside his head. He pulled himself away from the wood and turned to glare over his shoulder at the smirking raven. "Teme! Why did you move?" he demanded.

Sasuke snorted. "The idea of being glomped by an idiot isn't all that appealing, dobe." He said.

They glared at each other for a moment before the act was destroyed. Naruto burst out laughing, and Sasuke smiled, holding out a hand to help him up. Naruto let himself be pulled to his feet before pulling Sasuke into a bear hug. "I missed your asshole-ness!" he exclaimed, dragging Sasuke to a booth near the back.

Sasuke liked the fact that it was so secluded, as he immediately took his opportunity while everyone else was occupied. He grabbed Naruto's shoulder and spun him around. Before the blonde could question, he pressed his lips firmly against Naruto's, letting his eyes slip closed as he finally tasted him again.

God, he'd missed this.

Naruto responded quickly, parting his lips as Sasuke asked for entrance, and moaning softly as their tongues tangled. Sasuke pulled Naruto closer and Naruto wove his hands in Sasuke's hair, deepening the kiss by tilting his head.

When air became a desperate need, they pulled apart, a wet smack sounding, and breathed heavily. Naruto grinned again, his eyes at half-mast and his cheeks a bit flushed. "I guess you missed me too." He whispered.

Sasuke smiled. "Not at all." He said lightly.

Naruto laughed and pulled away, smacking him lightly on the arm before edging into the booth. Sasuke followed, choosing to sit next to Naruto instead of across from him. He wrapped an arm around the blonde's shoulders and kept him close, taking in his scent and enjoying the feel of Naruto leaning against him.

A waitress shuffled over, giving the two a look as she took in their position. "What can I get for you?" she drawled, pen poised over the paper.

They ordered a large smoothie and asked for two straws, ignoring the slight upturn of the waitress's upper lip as she took it down. It's not like they cared what she thought.

When she was gone, Sasuke immediately turned to Naruto and kissed him, long and hard. Naruto smiled into the kiss. He had missed this just as much as Sasuke, and was looking forward to being able to do it more often.

Almost as if hearing his thoughts, Sasuke pulled back and smirked. "Tell me where you live right now." He ordered softly.

Naruto snickered. "And if I don't?"

Sasuke got a gleam in his eye as he said seriously "Then I'll stalk you." Then he snickered and put on a perverted grin. "And watch you at night." He added, pretending to drool.

Naruto laughed out loud, clapping a hand over his mouth to stop people from staring. Sasuke chuckled along with him. When he regained his breath, Naruto smirked.

"How old are you?" he asked.

"Well over seventy." Sasuke said, without missing a beat.

"Three hundred?" Naruto asked, his grin widening as the continued.

Sasuke grinned. "Bingo."

Naruto pretended to cringe. "Eeew!" **(1)**

They blinked at each other, before bursting into fits of laughter. "Ah, good old Youtube." Naruto sighed and Sasuke nodded.

The waitress chose that moment to return, carrying a tray with the way-to-large smoothie and two straws. She set it down and quickly walked away.

Sasuke scoffed. "Homophobe." He muttered.

Naruto shrugged, grabbing his straw and taking a large gulp of the treat. He smiled. "Maybe, but she makes a good smoothie."

"Dobe." Sasuke said, placing his own straw in. "She didn't make it. She just delivered it."

"Whatever, it's still good." Naruto retorted and filled his mouth. Before he could swallow, Sasuke grabbed his chin and pressed their mouths together. He used his tongue to part Naruto's lips and let the liquid treat spill into his own mouth. He swallowed and pulled away, smirking at the surprised look on the blonde's face.

"You're right. It is good." He said.

Naruto shook his head. "Teme."

"Dobe."

They smiled and both leant forward to take a sip of their smoothie.

* * *

To say that they were enjoying themselves would be an understatement. After spending time at the small cafe, drinking their smoothie both from the glass and each other's mouths, they decided to go for a walk and had ended up in a nearby park.

There was a large pond filled with different water plants and plenty of fat ducks that quacked obnoxiously. Sasuke particularly enjoyed the part where Naruto had made a snide comment about the ducks, and one had laughed at him.

And he wasn't kidding. The duck had laughed. A row of obnoxious quacking that had sounded more like a phlegm-y voice calling 'Ha ha ha' than anything else.

Naruto had glared at the animal and laughed mockingly back, and for a full five minutes, Sasuke was able to enjoy a show of his boyfriend having a laughing war with a duck.

Idiots were entertaining.

"Stupid smart-ass duck." Naruto grumbled, walking away from the pond after having been, sadly, defeated by the aquatic bird. Sasuke smirked, wrapping an arm over the blonde's shoulders and leading him towards a few benches.

"Aw, don't worry. You'll get him next time!" he said in a falsely encouraging voice. His reward was an elbow in the side, but he only snickered and kept walking. They went to the nearest bench and, with two simultaneous sighs, sat down and leant back. Sasuke's arm was still around Naruto's shoulders.

Naruto stared up at the sky, seeing the clouds drifting ever so slowly across the light blue. He took a deep breath, enjoying the fresh air. His eyes drifted shut and he listened to the birds chirping around him. In the distance, the duck laughed again. He scowled and mentally imagined the stupid thing roasting in an oven.

Sasuke was watching his blonde's face, noting how it scrunched in annoyance when the duck made its weird noise again. He suppressed a snigger, not wanting to ruin the moment.

The slowly forming bruise in his side had nothing to do with it...really!

For a few minutes, he contented himself with just watching Naruto, enjoying the feel of that tan hand in his and the warmth that radiated from the boy, but finally, his curiosity got the better of him and he broke the silence to ask a question that had been burning in his mind for a while.

"So...Jiriaya..." he trailed off as the blue eyes opened and Naruto turned to him.

Naruto smiled and leant closer. "Yeah. He adopted me. I've officially got a father now."

Sasuke could hear the happiness in Naruto's voice, and a small blossom of gratitude to the old man swelled in his chest.

"I'm glad." He said softly, nuzzling his nose into Naruto's blonde hair and breathing in his scent. Naruto hummed, eyes drifting shut.

"How's your brother? And all the other's?" he asked as Sasuke placed soft kisses on his temple.

Sasuke pulled away just enough to talk, his breath ghosting over Naruto's cheek as his fingers came up to stroke the tan face affectionately.

"Itachi's fine. He's become even more annoying than before, but he's fine. And he's getting pretty friendly with Kisame, so I'm guessing that's why he's always so bubbly nowadays."

Naruto snickered. "Kisame's that blue guy right?" At Sasuke's nod he continued. "You're brother has some weird tastes."

Sasuke smirked. "I guess it runs in m family then, dobe." He said.

Naruto nodded in agreement before he realized what Sasuke was implying, after which he turned indignantly to the raven. "Hey!"

Sasuke smiled and silenced any further complaints with a kiss. Naruto scowled, and refused to open his lips, making Sasuke sigh through his nose and pull away. "I'm sorry, Naruto."

Naruto rolled his eyes and leant into his arms again. "You're a bastard...but your my bastard." He said softly.

Sasuke nodded, letting his fingers resume their tickling on the blonde's face.

"So how are the others? Like Shikamaru, and Hinata and Dog-breath?"

Sasuke smirked at the nickname. "They're all fine. Shikamaru's as lazy as ever, but he seems happy. Chouji actually went on a diet a while back and lost some weight, but he's still quite big. He also asked Ino out, but she said no."

Naruto made a sympathetic noise, tilting his head so that Sasuke's fingers brushed against his neck instead. Sasuke followed and began stroking the boy's neck while Naruto listened to him.

"Hinata and Kiba are fine. They're still going out, and Kiba's already mentioned he'd like to marry her when he's old enough. Kakashi's as much of a lazy pervert, but now he's bought the next book from the Icha Icha series. Neji has started training with his Uncle to be the clan head, so he hasn't been around much. Tenten and Shino are the same as ever, only Shino is even creepier than before. Lee is still hyperactive and is set on making Sakura his girlfriend, even though she always turns him down." Sasuke took a breath and let it out slowly, causing Naruto's hair to flutter slightly.

Naruto had closed his eyes again, enjoying the feeling of Sasuke's fingers, which had now travelled into his shirt and were brushing along his collarbone. He tilted his head back, letting out a sigh.

Sasuke watched him, his eyes beginning to burn with heat as he was presented with that long, tan neck. He leant over; fixing his mouth onto Naruto's jugular and sucking. Naruto gasped slightly as Sasuke bit down before licking, soothing the mark. Sasuke worked his way down, kissing and nipping and licking hungrily while his hands retreated only to enter from the bottom of Naruto's shirt, sliding it up as he stroked the boy's chest and nipples.

"S-Sasuke..." Naruto moaned softly, eyes opening halfway to stare up at the sky as Sasuke licked his collarbone as if it were a delicious ice cream he'd been dying to devour.

Sasuke climbed off the bench and knelt down in front of Naruto, pushing the boy's legs apart and settling between them. Naruto breathed heavily as Sasuke slid his zipper down, his eyes burning with lust and anticipation.

"Sasuke...w-wait, we're in public." Naruto gasped, his face flushed.

Sasuke only smirked and glanced around. "No one ever comes through here at this time. Relax, and just enjoy it." He said huskily, reaching for his prize.

Naruto moaned and let his head fall back, planning to listen to his boyfriend's words and follow his advice to enjoy himself.

And he did just that, the pleasure drowning out everything.

Well almost.

"Qua-ha-ha-ha!" went the duck in the pond.

"SHUT UP!" Naruto screamed, voice cracking with anger and pleasure.

The duck only swam onwards, seemingly proud of itself.

* * *

**(1)- AH good old youtube. You may have recognized that little thing. If not, go to youtube and type up Twatlight. Muahaha...oh the parody.**

**Well, how did you enjoy the chapter? Oh by the way...the duck is based on a duck in the park near my house. Me and my cousin often go walking there,...and the duck REALLY laughs. But it only laughs at my cousin, not me. She gets so pissed off at it.  
**

**One last thing... Is there anyone interested in making a trailer for this story and it's counterpart? I would make one myself,...but I have such a sucky movie programm... TT^TT**

**Of course, no one has to do it, but if someone did that would be really cool...so if you have loads of free-time, have nothing better to do, and feel like making his poor little author grin like a mental patient, send me a pm! Or, a message on youtube (just look for Juura99)**


	4. Blackouts and Nightmares

***is pacing furiously***

**Naru- what's her issue?**

**Sasu- *shrugs* How should I know?**

**Naru- but she's been doing that all day...**

**Juura- *starts hitting head on wall* DAMN DAMN DAMN !**

**Kao- Geez...what's biting her ass?**

**Kam-*out of nowhere* She's upset with herself for the long wait she's putting her readers through with the new chapters of her stories.**

**Kao- When did you get here?**

**Kam- Dunno...**

**Naru- So basically she's beating herself up?**

**Kam- Yep.**

**Sasu- *snickers* In that case, let's watch.**

**Kao- You know I hate you, right Sasu-gay?**

**Sasuke- Fuck you.**

**-on with the chapter-  
**

**

* * *

Blackouts and Nightmares**

Itachi sighed as he opened the front door of his and Sasuke's apartment. There was still no work for Rei-Senzai, and it was starting to get on his nerves. He was just glad their last job had managed to pay all the bills needed to be paid, so he had no worries there, but still. Their savings were quite low and it would make him feel better knowing they would have money in soon.

He stepped inside, and immediately froze as he heard music playing loudly in the house. He raised an eyebrow when he heard what sounded vaguely like someone singing along. Since he wasn't expecting anyone over, and Sasuke never said anything about bringing a friend home, he was a bit confused.

After all, there was no way in hell Sasuke was singing along to some music.

Just the thought was insane.

He put his jacket in the closet near the door and took his shoes off, stepping through into the kitchen, where the music seemed to be coming from. He blinked in surprise.

Sasuke was standing near the counter, working on peeling carrots and chopping them up. Three potatoes were already peeled and chopped and waiting to be thrown into a pot of boiling water. Sasuke wasn't singing, but he was moving his body and lips to the song, which Itachi recognized as Dirty Little Secret by The All-American Rejects.

The voice that was singing along, a little bit out of tune, belonged to the blonde boy who was standing in front of the stove, minding a pot of chicken stew that was ready to start cooking. As the blonde turned around to grab the now peeled and chopped carrots, Itachi recognized the blue eyes and whiskered cheeks.

"Naruto-kun?" He called, stepping into the kitchen. Naruto jumped at his sudden appearance, dropping several of the carrot slices. Sasuke, with reflexes he'd honed after living with Itachi and his pranks, managed to reach out and save most of the small orange morsels from hitting the dirty floor.

Naruto turned big blue eyes to Itachi before grinning. "Oh hello, Itachi-san! Uh..." he looked guiltily at the pot before rubbing his head sheepishly. "I hope you don't mind I'm making dinner..." he said.

Itachi smirked and shook his head. "Not at all. In fact I'm glad I won't have to endure Sasuke's awful cooking again." He said. Sasuke swore and threw a carrot slice at his head which Itachi caught with ease before tossing it back.

It hit Sasuke on the nose.

"Dammit Itachi!"

Itachi only laughed and left the kitchen to go and make a phone call. There was no way he was sitting with these two alone tonight. Not when he now had the perfect opportunity to get under Sasuke's skin again.

Walking into the lounge, he flipped his phone open and pressed the speed dial.

"Hello?" someone answered on the third ring. Itachi smirked.

"Want to come for dinner?"

* * *

Hatake Kakashi walked up to the door of his friend Itachi's apartment. He had been in the middle of a rather interesting newspaper article-it was speaking about the newest Icha Icha book release- when he'd received an unexpected phone call from his old friend.

Answering on the third ring, he'd placed the small device to his ear, secretly hoping the person had work for his company to do. He didn't like being inactive for long. It was hard work, doing nothing! Honestly it was!

"Hello?"

"Want to come for dinner?" he heard Itachi's voice ask, the larger-than-life smirk evident in every syllable.

Kakashi sighed, wondering what Itachi had planned. "Why would I want to come to dinner? I don't want Sasuke constantly badgering me for information on the orphans, since I still haven't heard anything myself. Seriously, if I have to hear the words 'Where is Naruto' one more time I'm going to-"

"Naruto-kun is in my kitchen, making our dinner as well as making out with my brother, as we speak." Itachi's calm voice said, making Kakashi freeze and blink stupidly.

"...You lie." He said eventually.

"I would never."

Kakashi snorted and ignored the indignant "Shut up" from Itachi to think. So Naruto was back and there right now. This obviously meant things had been sorted out, to some extent, with the orphanage. And perhaps...just maybe...

"I'll be there in ten." He said and hung up, throwing the paper aside, and only taking a second to cry out at the fact he'd lost his place, before he grabbed his coat and keys, leaving his small home for the other.

Now as he walked in, almost as if he owned this place too, he shrugged his jacket off and tossed it in the coat closet, not caring if it actually hung on a hook or not. He had more important things to do.

Hatake Kakashi was a man on a serious mission.

"Honey I'm home!" he called, and was greeted by one call of 'hello', one loud question of 'Who's that?' and one angry cry of 'Oh fuck no! Why _him_?'

Smirking beneath his mask, he stepped through the doorway to the living room to see Itachi sitting comfortably on the couch, his hands folded together and placed gently on his lap. Next to him, Sasuke was struggling to push someone out of sight, but failing since the person, who Kakashi instantly recognized as Naruto, didn't want to be hidden and was fighting back.

"Get behind the couch now!"

"Wai-Sasuke! Why?"

"No questions! Just don't let him see you!"

"Sasuke, get your hand off my ass and let me sit down!"

Kakashi grinned, his eye curving upwards as he stepped forwards. "My Sasuke, you're so eager! You won't even let the poor boy sit before you start molesting him." He said playfully.

He ducked the deadly projectile, which turned out to be a coaster from the coffee table, and raised his hands in a sign of peace.

Sasuke growled, crossing his arms and sitting down with a huff, upset his plan to keep Naruto out of sight of the silver haired pervert had failed. Naruto, for his part was rubbing his thigh, which Sasuke had been pushing rather harshly, while glaring at the raven.

"Geez, it's just Kakashi. Why can't he see me?" Naruto grumbled, pouting.

Sasuke sighed, running a hand through his hair. "You'll find out."

Kakashi ambled over towards them before leaning over both the younger boys. His eye travelled lazily from Sasuke to Naruto, looking serious. Naruto gulped and Sasuke fought to keep his teeth from showing in his snarl.

After a few more moments of inspection, Kakashi smiled. "So, when are you going to have sex?"

Naruto turned red, sputtering while Sasuke snapped forwards, wrapping his hands around the man's neck and throttling him. "I'll kill you, you pervert!" he roared.

Kakashi giggled, even as he was throttled, since Sasuke's grip was weak on his neck. He knew the raven would never truly kill him.

But when he felt Sasuke's fingers tighten, something in his head went off. An alarm sounded, and he snapped his eye to look into Sasuke's, surprised to see a real desire to kill in those swirling black eyes.

"I'll kill you, Hatake." Sasuke hissed, so soft only Kakashi heard. Kakashi's eye shot open even wider as Sasuke squeezed tighter, actually cutting off his air supply.

'_Shit, he's serious! But surely he can't be that mad by that one question! It was just a joke!_' he thought.

Itachi, noticing the sudden panic in Kakashi's eye stood up and grabbed Sasuke's shoulder. "Come on Sasuke, it was just a jo-" he snapped his hand back in shock as it was burned. Sasuke's shoulder felt like it was on fire!

Naruto also stood up, trying to pry Sasuke's hands from Kakashi's neck.

"Sasuke! Sasuke, calm down dammit! It was just a joke!" he yelled. Sasuke's eyes slid to him, and for a moment they looked glazed before a light shone in them again, and Sasuke pulled his hands back, a look of shock taking over his face.

Kakashi coughed once and cleared his throat. Luckily he hadn't been strangled for long, but it was enough to make him cautious. Something was different.

"Sasuke, what the hell was that?" Naruto demanded, glaring at his boyfriend. _'I mean sure, Kakashi deserved to be yelled at, but to actually start strangling him? That's a bit much._' He thought.

Sasuke shook his head, groaning slightly. "I...I don't know. I just kind of lost it, I guess...Sorry." he mumbled to Kakashi.

Kakashi waved his hand. "No worries. It's not like a weakling like you can kill me anyway." He joked. Sasuke glared, but didn't make a move, only squeezing Naruto's hand a bit tighter.

Itachi stared at his brother, his face blank but his mind whirring at high speed. He wanted to check on Sasuke's shoulder, but knew it wouldn't do well to do it here in front of the others. Sasuke wouldn't want to cause a scene, especially not in front of Naruto.

He would check it later.

"So...what's for dinner?" Kakashi asked, breaking the silence that had followed the odd encounter.

* * *

Sasuke watched Naruto eat and talk out the corner of his eyes, feeling his stomach heat up every time he saw the blonde lick his lips. If Naruto wasn't careful, Sasuke might just jump him right there and then, regardless of whether his brother and Kakashi were there or not.

However, there was something stopping him from doing that. Not the table between them, he'd be able to bypass that obstacle easily.

It was what had happened earlier.

He stared at his plate, pondering what had happened before they sat down for dinner.

He remembered Kakashi's comment, and he remembered wanting to grab the man and shake him, and he even remembered the first death threat. However, when his fingers closed around Kakashi's neck, ever so lightly...things went black.

He didn't remember what happened until he felt Naruto yank his hands away, shouting at him.

He had just...blacked out.

Sasuke unconsciously held a hand up and placed it on the spot on his shoulder where he knew that horrid marking to be. He remembered it had been burning ever so slightly once he'd come back to the present.

He knew something wasn't right with it. It had been burning at random times since he'd gotten it, and it also seemed to react whenever he was angry.

"Oi, Sasuke!" A hand waved in front of his face, snapping him out of his thoughts and he looked to the side at Naruto, who was pouting.

"What?"

"You're not eating! Is there something wrong with the food?" Naruto asked, looking a little put out. Was his cooking that bad?

Sasuke blinked before glancing down at his food. It looked delicious, and he knew from the few bites he'd taken that it tasted great too.

But he just wasn't all that hungry anymore. The earlier incident had left a lump of dread and apprehension in his stomach.

He sighed and offered Naruto a small smile. "No, it's great. I'm just a bit tired, so my appetite isn't all that big." He said softly. Naruto made an understanding noise and patted his shoulder.

"It's okay. You can eat it tomorrow." He said. Sasuke nodded and grabbed his hand, placing a soft kiss on the tan knuckles before handing it back to Naruto, who had an adorable little blush on his face.

Kakashi cooed and laughed at the glare he received. "So, Naruto...Have you heard from Iruka-sensei lately?" he asked slowly.

Sasuke smirked cruelly, realizing exactly why Kakashi had agreed to come over. He would make sure to torture the man later over this.

Naruto tilted his head smiling. "Actually yes. He's gotten a job at an elementary school as a teacher, and he's been really busy. But he's enjoying it." He said.

Kakashi eye-smiled. "Is that so? What's the name of the school?" he asked innocently.

Naruto scoffed. "You'll have to try better than that, you old pervert. I'm not letting you stalk Iruka-sensei so easily."

Kakashi growled. "I'm not old."

"You're hair's grey!" Naruto argued.

"It's just _different_."

"It's just _old_."

If Kakashi's face was any darker, they'd need a flashlight to see his eye. After an intense staring/glaring match between him and the blonde, he sighed.

"Fine you win." He said.

"So you admit that you're old?" Sasuke asked smugly. Kakashi threw him a dirty look.

"No, I admit that Naruto-kun won't tell me where Iruka is." He bit out.

Naruto smiled. "Don't worry, Kakashi. I'll tell you eventually." He said, his eyes twinkling.

Kakashi looked slightly hopeful, but didn't say anything.

The rest of the dinner passed with small talk. Itachi and Kakashi discussed different issues with the crew, while Sasuke and Naruto caught up on some more things.

Itachi had found it particularly adorable when Sasuke swiped some sauce off Naruto's chin and licked it himself, especially when the look on his baby brother's face was one of pure adoration as he cleaned the blonde.

'_He looks so happy when he's with Naruto._' Itachi thought, smiling inside.

When dinner was over, Naruto announced he had to leave, much to Sasuke's dismay.

"Can't you stay over?" he asked, his arms wrapped around Naruto's waist. Itachi decided not to point out how whiny Sasuke had sounded just then, but he made a mental note to bring it up for later blackmail and teasing.

"No, Jiraiya needs my help sorting out the new house. I'll see you on Monday at school; it's only a few more days." Naruto reasoned, prying Sasuke's arms off him and bravely resisting the pout Sasuke used.

"Four days until Monday. Can't you come over on the weekend?" Sasuke tried again, forgoing his pride and using the best puppy dog face he could. Considering it was only the third time he'd used it in his entire life, he had to admit it was pretty good.

And Naruto thought so too.

"...I'll try. But I've got a lot of stuff to sort out." He said, trying to reassemble his innards which had turned to complete goo at the sight of Sasuke's pouty, puppy eyes.

Itachi cleared his throat. "Perhaps Sasuke can help you? He can stay over at your place instead." He suggested.

Naruto brightened. "That could work!" he said, and Sasuke nodded immediately.

"I'll be over on Friday night." He insisted.

Naruto nodded eagerly, and the two shared a quick kiss before the blonde headed for the door, calling goodbyes as he went.

When the door slammed closed, Sasuke's happy face was gone and he looked his usual sour self.

Itachi's smile, along with Kakashi's eye curve was also gone.

"Sasuke...Take off your shirt." Itachi said softly, already heading to the lounge, followed by the other two.

Sasuke nodded, pulling his shirt off over his head and sitting down. Itachi and Kakashi sat beside him, their eyes trained on the strange marking in Sasuke's shoulder.

"It looks normal now. Well, as normal as it could be." Kakashi said thoughtfully. He reached over and ran a finger over it, only to pull back in surprise when the mark glowed red and Sasuke hissed loudly.

"Don't touch it!" the smaller boy snapped angrily as the mark burned.

Itachi frowned and shared a look with Kakashi. They both nodded in mutual understanding before closing their eyes for a few minutes. Kakashi swept his hair out of his face.

After taking a deep breath, they opened their eyes, revealing swirling red irises.

Sasuke had his back to them; unable to see the change, but he felt a sort of shift in the air. "What are you guys doing?" he asked slowly, not sure if he should be worried or not.

"We're just taking a closer look. Don't worry; we won't touch it more than necessary." Itachi reassured, placing a soothing hand on Sasuke's other shoulder.

Kakashi leant forward, staring intently at the mark. "...It's definitely not an ordinary bruise." He murmured.

Both Sasuke and Itachi snorted.

"Way to go captain obvious? What's your next revelation? That water is wet?" Sasuke sneered. Kakashi smacked him upside the head.

"Don't make me fire you." He warned.

Sasuke rolled his eyes but kept quiet.

Itachi reached out and ran a gentle finger over the mark, ignoring Sasuke's hiss of pain and indignation, his eyes zeroing in on the now a bright red colour. But aside from the red, Itachi could see something else. With his eyes, he saw what looked like a figure, miniscule, but noticeable, writhing around. Frowning, he leant back only to have his eyes widen in surprise.

There were strings of spiritual energy running down from the mark all over Sasuke's body, creating an almost web-like pattern throughout his torso, and spreading down his arms and legs. Itachi tapped on Kakashi's shoulder, as the other man was still pouting at Sasuke's earlier teasing. When the silver head didn't turn, Itachi punched his arm.

"Ouch! What is it?" Kakashi snapped, but Itachi only forced his face to look at Sasuke's back, and Kakashi's jaw dropped beneath his mask.

"...Fuck." he whispered.

Sasuke shifted. "What's wrong, Itachi?" he asked, feeling slightly nervous now. Itachi hummed thoughtfully, thinking back to the earlier incident.

"Sasuke...think of something that makes you happy. Like Naruto-kun and the times you spend together." He instructed.

Sasuke automatically obliged. After all, why would he refuse to think of his blonde? He thought back to their times together in the orphanage, and the time in the cafe and even here at his home. He had his eyes closed as he envisioned Naruto's smiling face, and a small smile tugged at his lips.

Itachi and Kakashi observed him, watching as the strings of energy grew smaller and thinner, and more flexible, as if they were loosened.

"Kakashi..." Itachi murmured softly, so Sasuke didn't hear. "Make him angry...not seriously, but enough to make him snap."

Kakashi nodded. "Hey Sasuke?"

"Hn?"

"...So, how do you plan to sleep with Naruto? What sort of positions will you try?" Kakashi spoke with his most cheerful voice, knowing how irate Sasuke would get.

Sure enough, they could see how the raven clenched his jaw and fisted his hands.

"Shut the fuck up Kakashi. It's none of your business." He growled.

Itachi and Kakashi ignored him, too busy watching as the energy strings grew larger and tighter, until they seemed almost strained.

Kakashi blinked, pointing to the spot right between Sasuke's shoulder blades. "Itachi...look at that." He murmured.

Itachi shifted closer, his breath hitching as he saw what it was.

The shadow of a snake, curling around the area Sasuke's spinal cord would be.

He bit his lip, drawing blood. '_Could it be?_'

"Sasuke." Kakashi started, his voice calm but serious. Sasuke turned to look over his shoulder as Kakashi swept his hair into place.

"Hn?"

"From now on, you need to keep a tight control of your emotions. You cannot lose your temper, or show any anger of any kind. You have to reign in those types of emotions. Do you understand?" Kakashi instructed, staring straight into his eyes.

Sasuke swallowed. "...I understand. But...why?"

Itachi sighed, his eyes closed since Sasuke turned. When he opened them again, they were their usual onyx colour.

"...We're not certain yet...but whatever it is, it reacts to your anger. So keep it down." He said, tired and drained from using his eyes.

Sasuke stared at him for a moment, before sighing and nodding. "Alright. I'll try."

* * *

_The walls were dark and damp, with mounds of slime and grime and moss and many other things considered foul and marsh-like._

_The sky was hidden by a large concrete ceiling, dripping wet with murky water and covered with webs of grime and wet dust. _

_An odd, greenish glow seemed to wash over the entire area, and the floor was submerged in water slightly._

_Sasuke blinked, taking in a sharp breath as he suddenly found himself in this odd place. He looked side to side, only seeing corridors and walls and nothing to indicate an exit._

"_Where am I?" he asked aloud, but was only met with his own echo before silence engulfed him once more._

_He took a step forward, hearing the slosh of the water around him. He looked every which way, taking another step, but no matter where he looked it was all the same._

_And then, in the distance he heard what sounded like a cry. Soft and feeble, like a child._

"_Hello?" he called, straining his ears. _

_The cry came again, seeming more desperate. Sasuke began running, the ankle deep water splashing loudly around him as he went. He turned down corridor after corridor, trying to find the source of the crying, which only seemed to become more and more desperate. He turned down another corridor and skidded to a sloppy halt, his eyes widening._

_The hallway was filled with black figures, looking almost like hunched over people, but somehow deformed._

"_Holy shit." He breathed, only to slap a hand over his mouth when the figures turned to him, showing dead eyes._

_There came an almost inhuman growl, before the first figure started moving. Sasuke wasted no time, spinning around and running as fast as he could, the water splashing up high around him._

_The green light seemed to flicker around him as he ran; feeling as if everything was in slow motion as he heard inhuman shrieks and cries from the hall behind him, followed my multiple splashes. And the realization hit him like a brick to the crotch._

_Those things were chasing him._

"_Fuck!" he yelled, glancing over his shoulder only to feel his panic increase when he saw the large writhing mass of black chasing him. Panting in fear and exertion, Sasuke pushed himself to go faster, turning down halls and corridors in the hopes of losing his obviously-nonhuman pursuers._

_He turned down another hall and saw what looked like an iron bar gate up ahead. Hoping he would be able to get through and lock it behind him, he ran faster, his breath coming out in wheezes now._

_The crying could be heard again, and Sasuke recognized it was a male voice. A teenage boy, perhaps?_

_He reached the gate and pulled, crying out in relief when it swung open and he ducked through, turning and slamming it closed._

_The figures reached the gate and slammed against it, but were unable to get through. Sasuke stumbled back and tried to catch his breath. He almost sighed in relief when a flash of gold appeared, and his sigh froze in his throat as he snapped his head to look to the side, outside the fence._

_Naruto stood in the corner, wearing a black shirt with a large tear in the middle, and black jeans. His blue eyes were looking towards Sasuke as he slowly began to walk along the side of the fence, towards the gate and the figures, the water sloshing softly at his steps._

"_No! Naruto don't go near them! Run away!" Sasuke screamed, trying to climb up, but he only slipped in the water and fell again, completely worn._

"_Naruto!" he yelled, looking up and freezing. Naruto was right at the gate, the figures all around him but standing still. They were all facing Sasuke. Naruto stared directly at him for a moment before his mouth moved._

_A smooth, deep voice that did not belong to him spoke._

"_Naruto..." the blonde said._

_Sasuke started, surprised. He recognized the voice from somewhere. And then he noticed that Naruto wasn't look at him, but rather at something behind him. He turned and gasped seeing none other than Naruto behind him, also on his hands and knees in the water, his hair a mess and his clothes dirty and torn. There was also a large gash over his right eye, and it was bleeding profusely. His blue eyes stared at the other blonde, wide and fearful, and then he spoke, his voice frightened and shaky from sobs._

"_S-Sasuke...P-please don't! P-please!" he begged._

_Sasuke stared at him, feeling cold all of a sudden. There was a deep chuckle behind him, and his eyes grew impossibly wide._

_He turned slowly, following the weak Naruto's line of sight back to the gate, which was slowly being opened._

_Being opened by another Sasuke, who was smirking evilly._

_Sasuke shook his head. "No. No, this isn't happening!" he yelled, moving forward, only to find that he couldn't move. Looking down at himself, he gasped._

_Snakes were coming up out of the water, wrapping around his arms and legs which were transparent, as if he were a spirit. He struggled, but the serpents only slithered around him further and pulled him back down._

_He screamed and yelled out, calling for Naruto as he watched the blonde slowly and surely get torn apart by the black figures._

"_NARUTOOOO!"

* * *

_

Itachi was on the verge of sleep when a scream, one he hadn't heard since his parent's death, rung out through the apartment.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Falling out of bed, Itachi scrambled to his feet and bolted out of his room, down the hall and crashed through Sasuke's door into his room.

"Sasuke!" he skidded to a halt, seeing his brother thrashing around in his sleep and screaming.

"NARUTO! NOOOO!"

Itachi ran forwards, trying to pin the panicked raven down, while also trying to avoid getting smashed in the face by Sasuke's fists.

"Sasuke! Wake up! Wake up, it's just a dream!" he yelled.

Sasuke's eyes snapped open and he sat up quickly, breathing harshly and loudly. Tears were pooling in his eyes and they began to drip down his cheeks as Itachi wrapped his arms around his younger brother.

"Hush, Sasuke. It's okay." He murmured soothingly.

Sasuke swallowed thickly, letting his head fall onto Itachi's shoulders. He shook terribly, the nightmare's images still fresh and vivid in his mind.

"...Aniki..." he whimpered, clenching his fists in Itachi's night shirt.

Itachi only hugged him tighter.

"Ssshh. It's okay, outoto. I'm here. Aniki is here."

* * *

**Kao- Juura is currently unconcious, but she says she hoped you all enjoyed the chapter and that you'll forgive her for the wait. **

**Kam- She also said that she isn't sure when she'll have the next chapter ready, since things are hectic and she has limited time to write now.**

**Naru-...I forgot what she told me...**

**Sasu- Dobe. She also said that she would love reviews as they help her write faster and make her happy just like the little review whore she is-**

**Kao- I'm going to kill you when we're done, you know that?**

**Sasu- Hn. She also said that she's so sorry to all her Online! readers for the long wait and she's going to try to get the next chapter finished and posted as soon as she can.**

**Kam- and so, thank you for reading, we hope this chapter intrigued you! We're looking forward to seeing you all again!  
**

**Sasu- Hn. I'm not.**

**Kao- Can I kill him now?**

**Kam- No.**

**Kao-...How 'bout now?**


	5. Got Spirits?

**GRAAAAAAAAAAHHH! *throws random object across room and huffs***

**Naru: Whoa, what's with her?**

**Kao: She's pissed at herself for taking so long to update this story.**

**Sasu: Hn. Well, what do we expect from someone like her.**

**Juura: *glares* Shut it, Princess, or you'll never get laid.**

**Sasu: *glares***

**Naru: Ugh...you two really need to get along.**

**Juura/Sasu: Never. *glares at each other***

**Kao: Oi, oi... Anyway, *turns to readers* Everyone, Juura-sensei is extremely sorry for taking so long. She's been loaded down with her schooling and shit and also has been struggling to piece this together with all the chaos in her mind. But she says she hopes you all enjoy the chapter, and she's going to try her level best to prevent another extra long wait for the next chapter...however, she's not making promises, so don't get your hopes up.**

**Juura: YOU'RE NOT HELPING!**

**Kao: I'm not trying to. Now stop smashing shit and ranting and let these poor saps read the chapter already!**

**Juura: *huffs* Yeah, yeah.**

**Warnings: Language, and ghostly activity.**

**Disclaimer: Well thank GOD I don't own Naruto or you poor people would NEVER get the next chapter or episode on time! O.o  
**

**

* * *

Got Spirits?**

Kiba took a deep breath, a small bead of sweat slipping down the side of his face. On his right, Hinata had her hands clasped together nervously; staring at the door they were faced with. On his left Chouji was also staring at the door, his hand in a bag of chips, but not making any movement. There was silence but for the soft creaking coming from the room beyond. The darkness around them only served to make them even more nervous.

"...Okay...I'm going to open it." Kiba whispered softly. Chouji nodded.

"Do it." He urged and Kiba edged forwards. Hinata placed a hand over his.

"M-maybe we shouldn't! Let's just keep going!" she suggested so quietly, they strained to hear her.

Kiba shook his head, his eyes never leaving the door. "We have to explore this place thoroughly...every single room. Let's just get it out the way." He replied softly.

Hinata nodded and the three of them pursed their lips, leaning forwards.

Kiba opened the door and stepped into the room, seeing the dark corners where the flashlight didn't reach.

There was a soft creak before...

"What are you doing?"

Hinata screamed, Chouji dropped his chips and Kiba jumped several feet in the air before they twisted around on the couch to see Kakashi standing behind them, his hands in his pockets as he looked over at them and the small T.V screen. He raised an eyebrow.

"Are you three playing Fatal Frame 2 again?" He asked.

Kiba was swallowing deep breaths of air while Hinata had her hand clutched firmly over her heart.

"You s-scared us!" she said, sounding a bit accusing.

Kakashi raised a hand in apology. "But honestly, why play this game in absolute silence, with the lights off?" he asked, reaching over and flicking the lights on.

Kiba sighed. "The mood is better when it's in the dark and shit. It makes you feel like you're right there, you know?" he said, turning back to the game. "Oh shit she's getting killed!" he cried, quickly manoeuvring the character away from the twin ghosts that were attacking her.

Chouji started eating again, the tense spell now destroyed by Kakashi's presence, so he felt no need to be silent. Hinata was cheering Kiba on in her own soft way.

Kakashi smiled at his employee's activities before walking over to the nearest computer and sitting down. Tilting his head up to the ceiling he said aloud "Please, all things of Holy and Icha Icha Paradise nature, let us have some work!"

He clicked on the email tab, waiting for it to load when he actually bothered to look towards his employees. Sure enough, they were giving him classic 'WTF' looks. He only smiled, waved, turned to the email and let out a triumphant cry.

"It worked! We've got work!"

Kiba paused the game and scrambled over immediately. "What kind? Do we need the heavy artillery?" he asked eagerly.

Kakashi read through the email and shook his head. "No, it's just an investigation. This lady has suspicions that her home is haunted. We just need to check. But just in case it's something nasty, we'll bring along those lovely new additions we got." He said, smirking when Kiba let out a whoop.

"I hope we get to use them! Those things are whack!" the brunette cheered. Kakashi smirked.

"I think I'm going to forbid you from having one." He said lightly.

The reaction was priceless. Kiba, who had been in the middle of a happy dance froze, one foot in the air, one arm slung above his head and his eyes and mouth gaping wide open in a look of pure 'You're-fucking-kidding-me' status.

"...You're fucking kidding me!" he yelled.

See?

Kakashi laughed, waving his hand to calm Kiba down. "Yes, yes. Relax, Kiba. I had those made for everyone for a reason." He assured, reading over the details of the next job. He frowned. Depending on what type of spirit they would find in the client's house, if there was one at all, he figured the pay would be within the medium to low levels.

Oh well, better than nothing.

"Kiba, where are the others?" Kakashi asked, already sending a message to Itachi to get him to come over.

"Sasori and Deidara are working on their latest art projects or some shit, Kisame's working in his other job at the aquarium, Lee and Tenten went to visit Neji while he trains or something and Shikamaru is asleep in the medical room."

Kakashi looked over at the brunette. "Hidan and Kakuzu?"

"Kakuzu is busy with our accounting files and Hidan is in hospital."

"Why's he in the hospital?" Kakashi asked.

"The doctors say he attempted suicide." Kiba replied, his face emotionless.

"And what does Hidan say?"

"He said he was just praying." Kiba said in a bored tone, showing just how uncaring he was over his colleague's health.

Kakashi only sighed and shook his head. "Jashinism is a dangerous religion." He said.

Kiba snorted, plopping down onto the couch and grabbing the controller, un-pausing the game and continuing. "Yeah. I can see him in the morgue now, with several puncture wounds over his heart and a huge fucking smile on his face that screams 'I'm dead and happy about it motherfucker!'" he joked.

Kakashi hummed in agreement. "You're swearing an awful lot lately." He noted.

"My mother finally gave me permission to swear formally, so I'm milking it for a bit." Kiba called over his shoulder.

Chouji snickered. "Oh sure, because _before _she gave you permission, your mouth was as clean as a whistle."

Kiba reached over, punching him in the arm. He suddenly looked rather confused. "You know, I've never understood that expression. Whistles aren't clean at all! They've got every Tom, Dick and Harry's fucking _spit _all over them! How the fuck is that clean?"

Chouji laughed and Hinata giggled, despite his terrible language. Kakashi just smiled.

After twenty or so minutes, during which Kiba managed to progress to the next chapter in his game after many scream-swear-laugh-'Die-bitch'-screech worthy battles, the door opened and Itachi walked in.

Kakashi spun around in his swivel chair, smiling at his friend, but it dropped the moment he saw Itachi's face.

It was pale, he had dark bags under his eyes indicating a lack of sleep, and he looked strained.

Behind him, Sasuke walked in, looking, if possible, even worse. His eyes looked extremely tired and his eyes were a bit red, the dark rings under them rivalled those of their old friend Sabakuno Gaara and his skin was pasty white.

Kakashi sent Itachi a questioning look, and the younger man sent a meaningful look to the three on the couch, who were oblivious to their arrival.

Understanding, Kakashi waved the two Uchiha's towards the small door leading to the medical room, one of the only private rooms they had in their headquarters. It only contained two beds with curtains that could be drawn to hide them from view and then a small area with a desk for whatever needed to be stored, along with an overhead cabinet.

They entered, Itachi leading Sasuke to the chair by the desk that was covered with papers, medical records and useless doodles. Kakashi closed the door behind them, turning to lean against it while Itachi leant against the wall in between his brother and his friend.

"So...what happened?" Kakashi asked slowly. Eyes raking over Sasuke's slumped form.

Sasuke turned his head slightly, looking at him out of the corner of his eyes. "...Couldn't sleep...and Itachi wouldn't go back to bed..." he mumbled.

Itachi frowned. "How could I? Last night was one of the worst nightmares you've ever had, Sasuke." He said.

Kakashi perked up. "A nightmare?"

Sasuke sighed and nodded, placing his head in his hands. "Yeah."

"...Did it have anything to do with the mark on your neck?"

"I don't know...I don't know what it meant...I don't want it to happen...Not...Not that." Sasuke's voice was laced with exhaustion, and he was struggling to string sentences together properly. He was half lying on the desk, his head resting atop one arm now.

Itachi was looking at him, concerned. Kakashi, while concerned was also curious.

"What happened in the dream?" he asked.

Sasuke shook his head weakly. "I don't really want to relive it..."

"But Sasuke, it might be important. If it's related to your marking, it might be-"

"I SAID I DON'T WANT TO FUCKING TALK ABOUT IT!" Sasuke yelled, his voice rasping and his eyes blazing as he glared at the shocked silver head.

"Sasuke!" Itachi snapped, reaching forward and grabbing his brother by the shoulders. He could feel how the area around the marking was warmer. "Calm down. Remember what we told you!"

Sasuke grit his teeth, trying his level best to reign in his anger. He didn't mean to snap like that...he hadn't even meant to be angry. It just came out of nowhere. He pushed the palms of his hands against his eyes, taking several deep breaths and letting them out slowly. Once he felt the unexpected anger subside, he removed his hands, staring glumly at his knees.

"I'm sorry..." he mumbled. Kakashi nodded, already realizing it wasn't intended.

"I shouldn't have pushed you. I apologise. I understand you don't want to retell it, but it might be important. Is there any detail you can tell us?" he asked gently.

Sasuke sighed, letting his head fall back. "...It involved Naruto..." he said softly, barely a whisper.

Kakashi and Itachi shared a glance before reverting their eyes back to Sasuke. "Can you...elaborate?" Itachi asked slowly.

Sasuke nodded, steeling himself and facing forward. He looked at a spot on the wall behind them rather than at their faces, not wanting to falter under their curious gazes.

"I was...in some sort of underground place. I'm not sure, but it was similar to a dungeon of some kind. But it was also wet. There was water everywhere; the floor was submerged a bit. I was just there, no clue how I got there. I started walking around, just trying to find my way...when I heard someone crying." Sasuke swallowed, shifting his gaze to the floor.

"I started searching for the source when I turned a hallway. And it was filled with...I don't really know what they were. Black shadows, the shape of humans but hunched and disfigured. And their eyes...just these dead eyes." He shuddered at the memory, feeling Itachi place a comforting hand on his knee. "They started chasing me, so I just ran. I came to a metal fence, with a gate and got through, closing it behind me. The things couldn't get through so I thought I was safe but then..."

He was whispering now, and Kakashi was leaning closer to catch every word, his brain calculating possibilities.

"I saw Naruto in the corner, right outside the fence. I told him to run away, but he only walked to the gate. The things didn't hurt him at all. But...then he spoke and it wasn't his voice. It was..." Sasuke bent over himself slightly, the images from the dream coming back in waves. "It was my voice. I looked behind me and saw Naruto there, hurt and scared. When I look back at the gate, it was me standing there. And I was fucking smirking and opening the gate. And those things...those creatures came in and...and Naruto was...He was..." He couldn't finish, as the screams he'd heard in his dream echoed in his head. He clenched his eyes shut, holding his head in his hands trying to dispel the images and sounds.

Itachi was by his side, wrapping an arm around him in an attempt to keep him grounded. Kakashi leant back, well aware of what must have happened next. "...Is there any other detail...even if it's small?" he asked softly.

Sasuke thought carefully, while trying to avoid hearing those screams. Suddenly in the back of his head, he heard what sounded like a hiss. "Snakes! When I tried to get up to help Naruto...I was transparent, and snakes were wrapping around me, holding me down." He said.

Kakashi narrowed his eyes. '_Snakes..._'

They sat in silence for a bit, each lost in their own thoughts before finally it was broken by a scream from the other room.

"AAH! FUCKING GHOST! LET GO OF MY BOOBS DAMN YOU!" Kiba's voice screeched.

Sasuke and Itachi shared very confused-for an Uchiha- look while Kakashi snorted.

"He's playing Fatal Frame 2." He explained, and the Uchiha's nodded in understanding. Kiba always got a little over involved and over perverted when he played games with female characters.

Sasuke sighed and stood up. "Maybe watching Kiba get raped by a ghost will make me feel better." He said sarcastically, opening the door and stepping out. Itachi smirked and followed.

Kakashi was about to follow when he heard a soft sigh from somewhere behind him. He froze, his eyes widening. Slowly, he looked over his shoulder, seeing the curtain the hid the first bed. Due to the lighting, he couldn't tell if there was a shadow or not, but he heard a slight rustling sound.

Taking a cautious step forward, he reached up and swept his hair away from his left eye, keeping it closed just in case it was a false alarm, but being ready to snap it open in a moment's notice.

He edged closer to the bed behind the curtains, feeling heart rate increase slightly.

Slowly, he reached out, ready to grip the curtain and yank it open.

"So troublesome."

Kakashi jumped at the sudden voice, but as soon as the words registered in his mind, he relaxed and pulled the curtain aside, revealing Shikamaru who was lying on his back, his eyes closed and his legs crossed.

"What're you doing here?"

"I was asleep."

"When did you wake up?"

"When Sasuke almost broke his voice box screaming at you."

"You heard?"

"Kind of hard not to hear someone screaming like that."

"No, I meant the rest." Kakashi clarified. Shikamaru opened one eye.

"...Yeah. I heard." He said after a moment. Kakashi nodded slowly.

"...Don't tell anyone." He ordered. Shikamaru smirked.

"Too troublesome to do it anyway." He assured, closing his eye and sighing again.

Kakashi chuckled, knowing the boy wanted to get back to sleep.

"FUCK ME SIDEWAYS! THE GHOST IS RAPING ME!"

Shikamaru groaned in annoyance. "Troublesome idiot." He muttered, rising slowly from the bed.

Kakashi chuckled, turning and walking out the door, Shikamaru following discreetly behind so as not to worry the Uchiha brothers.

Kiba was trying frantically to fight against the ghost, but his character kept getting grabbed. Hinata was watching, often gasping when Kiba was grabbed again while Chouji only snickered and ate his chips. During their time talking, Ino, Lee and Tenten had arrived and were just starting to get comfortable.

"Hello Ino, can you make me some coffee?" Kakashi asked, sitting down. Ino smiled in greeting and stood up, going to the small kitchen area and putting the kettle on. She turned around, leaning against the counter with her arms folded over her chest.

She surveyed everyone in the room, making small notes in her head as she took in each of their appearances. When her baby blue eyes landed on Sasuke and Itachi, she noticed the bags under their eyes and a small frown curved her lips.

She turned back around, getting out another two mugs.

"So, Kakashi, what's our new job?" Kiba asked loudly, his character running away from the ghost he just couldn't seem to beat. The others perked up at the mention of work.

Kakashi cleared his throat, leaning back in his seat while everyone, but Kiba who was still getting beaten, turned to look at him expectantly.

"Ah, this new job. It's a simple search-evaluate-cleanse sort of job. This woman has suspicions that her home is haunted. We're going to confirm if it's true or not. If it is, we take care of it after evaluating what it is we're up against." He said.

Tenten nodded. "So it's like the usual." She simplified. Kakashi nodded.

"The client lives in the outer suburbs, the higher class area. Her house has two floors, and consists of four bedrooms and two bathrooms, a kitchen, living room, dining room and two studies. No attic and no basement though, so it's pretty straightforward. We'll head over there today, if no one has any objections." He said, looking around to confirm. Sure enough, no one made any moves to complain, so he considered it done.

Ino finished making the coffee, quickly handing Kakashi his. She then took the other two mugs and held them out to the Uchiha brothers, smiling. Itachi took his gratefully, nodding his thanks and taking a sip. Sasuke eyed his cup warily for only a moment before taking it and sipping. Ino gave him a smile, but it no longer held the fan-girlish air it used to, instead just being normal and friendly.

Sasuke was quite pleased Ino had given up her crush on him after the Orphanage incident. He found her to be an okay person when she wasn't fawning over him.

It was only then that he realized her pink haired other half was missing. "Hn? Where's Sakura?" he asked.

Everyone looked around, seeming to only now notice the pinkette's absence.

Ino sighed. "She's got a medical exam today, so she couldn't come in." She explained. Kakashi nodded and Sasuke shrugged, uncaring. He had just been a bit curious.

Kakashi gulped the rest of his coffee before placing the mug down and smiling. "Alright everyone. Time to go to work."

* * *

The house they were investigating was only a few blocks away from their headquarters, so they arrived in short time.

Kabuki Fu, a woman of fifty-four, was a well off widow. She opened the door, wearing a long red traditional kimono, and her silvery hair was tied up in an elegant bun, with several curls falling around her only lightly wrinkled face. As soon as she saw Kakashi, she pulled the door wide open, a warm smile on her face.

"Come in, come in! Thank you so much for coming so quickly!" She said in a soft voice. Kakashi bowed his head in greeting.

"It was no trouble, Kabuki-san." He assured, toeing his shoes off and following her deeper into the comfortable home. The rest of the crew, which consisted of Ino, Shikamaru, Chouji, Lee, Hinata and Kiba, Sasuke and Itachi and finally Tenten, followed suit. They were led to the living room, where two large, plush white couches were arranged around a dark, cherry-wood coffee table. A tray with several mugs and a pot of coffee was already placed on the surface, awaiting its use.

"It looks like you were expecting us." Kakashi noted, smiling behind his mask. Ms. Kabuki smiled and nodded, motioning for the others to sit down and get comfortable.

"Yes, I received your message. I've been waiting." She replied, settling herself into an armchair.

Itachi led Sasuke to the couch, sitting down and dragging Sasuke to lie down too, forcing the smaller raven to lean against him. When Sasuke made an attempt to move, Itachi held him still.

"You're still extremely tired, Sasuke. Just lean on me for a little bit." He whispered so only they could hear. Sasuke huffed in annoyance.

"I'm not a baby, you know..." he mumbled, but he relaxed slightly against his brother, his eyes half open.

Kakashi sat right across from Ms. Kabuki, leaning forward in his seat slightly. "Now then, Kabuki-san, please tell us exactly why you believe your home is haunted." He said.

Ms. Kabuki nodded, taking a breath. "Well, it started little over a week ago. Things started moving around at first. I'd put something in one place, it would be gone the next day only to reappear somewhere completely different later. And since I live here alone, there's no one else it could be. Also, at night I hear some odd noises. I thought perhaps the neighbours were having a party or so, but as you can guess, our houses are far enough from each other that something like that wouldn't be heard in my bedroom. And just recently, I've started to see things. Especially in mirrors and reflective surfaces. White shapes, sometimes what seems to be hand prints, and once I was certain I'd seen a pair of eyes looking at me in through the glass. Eyes next to my face." She said, shivering a bit at the memory. She clutched at her kimono, looking frightened. "I've already considered senility, but my nephew came to visit on Friday, and he said he could hear and see things too. He's only fifteen, and he's a very logic bound boy, so if he was frightened, I just can't ignore it."

Kakashi nodded with each thing she named. They all sounded like the regular haunting signs. "And has there been anything that could be possibly harmful? Any sort of, dangerous incidents?" he asked.

Ms. Kabuki thought for a moment and then shook her head. "No I haven't, thankfully. I've heard no threatening voice, nor been in any unexplained accident." She said.

Kakashi nodded happily. "Well, that is a good thing. That means there's a good chance that these spirits are just wandering spirits. If this is the case, it'll be relatively easy to help them move on and you're in no danger." He assured.

She smiled slightly. "I'm glad to know that, but I'd much rather have them gone. Their sudden appearances are enough to make my heart falter."

Kakashi nodded in understanding. "Yes, they can be frightening, evil or not. We'll get them out as soon as we can." He turned to the rest. "Everyone, please go ahead and begin the preparations. Search the rooms, do the evaluations and meet back here." He said, standing up.

Sasuke pulled himself off of Itachi and stood, stretching a bit. Itachi stood too, his eyes roaming over the room briefly before he began walking towards the hall. "Sasuke, come. We'll search the guest rooms." He called.

Sasuke nodded, not really caring where they searched. He followed his brother down the hall, the lighting dim and the area quiet. The house was a lot larger than they had thought, with very long hallways and the rooms were rather large. He could imagine it would be a bit spooky to have ghosts appear when you live in this place alone.

'_Then again, I bet she has her nephew or whatever visiting often._' He thought, looking at the multiple pictures of Ms. Kabuki and a young boy with dark brown hair and a pair of large spectacles perched on his nose.

The two walked down the hall, looking around for anything suspicious. Itachi was carrying the small detector in his pocket, but he hadn't bothered to take it out. Walking ahead of Sasuke, he closed his eyes briefly before opening them, his onyx irises replaced with a crimson red and black. He looked over each of the pictures, seeing small traces of Ms. Kabuki's spiritual presence as well as that of a young boy he assumed was her nephew.

Sasuke was unaware of his brother's doings, and was simply following him, his arms crossed over his chest as he surveyed the passing pictures. The occupants in the pictures looked very happy.

At least, almost.

Sasuke stopped at a large family portrait. He could see someone who was most likely Kabuki Fuu in her younger days. Next to her was a sharp looking man, but despite his features, he was wearing a warm smile. Two children stood in front of them, all smiles and laughter. He recognized the boy as Ms. Kabuki's nephew, and he assumed the girl next to him was her niece. But Sasuke's eyes were drawn to a young girl standing a bit to the back. Her reddish hair was tied into a bun on one side of her head and her eyes looked dull and blank. She was staring blankly ahead, her mouth set in a thin line as if she really didn't want to be there. Sasuke frowned.

"I wonder what's with her." He muttered, studying the picture closely.

"Hm? Did you say something Sasuke?" Itachi asked, looking back at his brother once he'd reverted his eyes back to normal.

Sasuke looked over at him, shrugging one shoulder. "No, I was just talking about this little girl in the picture. She looks pretty sad-" he stopped abruptly, having turned back to the picture.

The girl was gone.

His eyes widened slightly and his arms dropped to his sides as he peered at it closely. "What the...?" he murmured.

Itachi frowned, walking closer and taking a look at the picture. "What are you talking about Sasuke? Everyone's smiling." He noted.

Sasuke shook his head. "No, Itachi there was another girl! She was standing a bit behind the others and she looked a bit sad. She was there when I first looked!" he insisted. Itachi narrowed his eyes, leaning closer. He, of course, believed his brother. After all, things like this were common in his business, so he knew Sasuke wasn't the type to imagine things or make it up for the hell of it. If Sasuke said he'd seen someone, then he'd seen someone.

"Where was she, exactly?" he asked. Sasuke pointed to the spot, still feeling annoyed and a little weird at having already seen something ghostly. If this had been several months ago, he'd have scoffed and said he had been seeing things due to his exhaustion.

Ha ha. It's funny how much his opinions had changed over the months.

For a second, Sasuke mourned his newfound realization that he was no longer the 'Logical Bastard' who didn't believe in ghosts.

However, his mourning was brought to an end when Itachi lifted the picture off the wall. "Sasuke, stay here. I'm just going to take this to the living room and ask Kabuki-san about it." Itachi ordered.

Sasuke nodded, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms. Itachi walked down the hall, holding a grace that one wouldn't imagine possible when someone was carrying a huge picture awkwardly in their arms.

He sighed, tapping his foot against the floor in a random rhythm to keep himself occupied while he waited. He let his mind wander, and soon thoughts of his upcoming weekend with Naruto entered his mind. He smiled to himself, looking forward to being able to spend the entire weekend with his adorable blonde.

Before his thoughts could lose their innocence, however, he heard a soft giggle to his right. Blinking, he looked down the hall in time to see a door shut gently. He heard another giggle, and raised an eyebrow. It sounded a bit like Ino.

Deciding that he was bored and had nothing better to do, he pushed himself off the wall and made his way to the door slowly. "Ino?" he called through the wood. He didn't know what sort of room this was, and didn't want to walk in on her in the bathroom.

When no one answered, he frowned. "Anyone in there?"

There was silence. Sasuke's frown increased and he grabbed the handle. "I'm coming in." He called before pushing down and letting the door swing open. It was a spare bedroom, looking suited for a child. Twin beds on either side of the room greeted him, along with a few toys, books and an old computer. He guessed this was where the children slept when they came to visit.

"Hello?" he called, stepping into the room. The walls were painted a soft blue and the carpet was peach. A delicate mobile with stars and planets was hung from the roof, only slightly moving due to the breeze from the doors sudden opening. Sasuke stepped further into the room, looking around curiously. He was sure he'd heard Ino in here. Perhaps she'd only been nearby and the door had just closed by itself due to wind?

He looked up at the window, and saw it was closed. He frowned, wondering what it had been when something caught his eye in the corner of the window reflection.

A young girl was staring at him, a blank look on his face.

Sasuke's eyes widened and he took a step back in surprise. The reflection didn't go away and he automatically looked over his shoulder to see if she was behind him.

There was no one there.

Sucking in a sharp breath, he faced the window again only to find the girl was gone.

"...Fuck." he hissed.

Ms. Kabuki was right.

This place was haunted.

Sasuke grit his teeth and clenched his fists, turning and grabbing the door handle. He yanked it open and stepped out. Before he could leave entirely, he heard another giggle, right behind him.

He didn't bother turning around, already knowing that it was that girl's spirit. He pulled the door shut behind him and stomped down the hallway.

"I fucking hate kids." He grumbled.

* * *

**Juura: *laughs hysterically***

**Sasu: What's so funny?**

**Naru: *is holding onto Sasuke's arm* Creepy children ghosts...I'm scared...**

**Sasu: *hugs him* Don't worry, I'll protect you. *pervy grin***

**Juura: *laughs harder then stops abruptly* Well, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. The Kabuki house chapter won't last very long, it's just to help showcase the crew a bit...and to help showcase some things with Sasuke too...**

**Sasu: Hn. Like the fact I hate children?**

**Naru: Anyone could have told you that...**

**Juura: *shrugs* eh, whatever. Everyone, once again I am sooooo sorry for the long wait. Hehe, I had planned to have this stories chapter pre-written...but that didn't go as planned, since I haven't started on the next chapter yet...I guess I'm doomed to be a write-post-write type author after all! *wails***

**Reviews are awesome, and everyone likes being awesome...So be awesome and review awesomely..**

**Pressed the button?**

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	6. Kids Games

**EVERYONE! HI! You know what, you can all thank our lovely SilverXStarlight and her awesome review for this epically fast update! Well, her and the lovely composers of the creepy-chill-giving-perfect-for-this-story music, Midnight Syndicate! Those guys have some really creepy songs...one of the songs that played a really great roll in one scene was... Haunted Nursery. *evil grin* I'll put a tiny note of when you should-if you choose to- listen to that song, since it was playing during that specific scene.**

**Another thing that greatly influenced this was my newfound discovery of the children's game Kagome, Kagome...which..is...REALLY FUCKING SINISTER when you learn about the backgrounds and different meanings...honestly, and they say old kids games were non-violent! BULLSHIT! IT WAS ALL MINDFUCKING BACK THEN! At least today we can SEE what our kids are really being exposed to! Unless you bother to think carefully about all those old kids rhymes and shit, you think they fine, but I tell you most of those old lullaby's and shit are pure EVIL!**

**Rock-a-bye baby is one example! That's just evil!**

**And Ring-a-ring-a-rosie! Twisted bitches who made that game!**

**Kagome, Kagome! JUST. CREEPY!**

**Now that I've finished my ranting about the sinister nature of old kids rhymes and such, we can continue with the next chapter. This one is pretty creepy(I hope) so prepare yourself, especially if you're sensitive to this stuff!**

**Warnings: Swearing, horror, ghost children(THIS SHOULD BE A WARNING! THOSE LITTLE BRATS ARE EVEN SCARIER THAN A SLICED UP ADULT GHOST!)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own...ever.**

**

* * *

Kids Games**

"Sasuke! Where did you go?" Itachi asked as soon as he saw the raven walking towards him. "I told you to wait for me!"

Sasuke groaned, running a hand through his hair. "I got bored. But that's not important right now."

Itachi gave him a disapproving look while Kakashi chuckled at them. They were in the living room, waiting for the others to come back. Sasuke had left the bedroom of the children only a few minutes ago, but he could still hear that annoying giggle in his head. It was annoying him to no end.

After getting over the initial shock over the fact that there was a ghost right there, his old habits came back.

He hated children, and dead ones were no different. So he'd gone past the 'Oh shit a ghost!' phase to the 'Oh shit, it's kids!' phase.

"Sasuke, what if a ghost had appeared?" Kakashi asked teasingly.

"A ghost did appear." Sasuke deadpanned, staring at his employer blankly. Itachi blinked in surprise while Kakashi gaped.

"You're serious? You saw the ghost?" he asked.

Sasuke nodded. "It was a young girl. She looked about six or so. She was in the window reflection. She also giggles a lot." He mumbled the last bit sourly.

Ms. Kabuki gasped, covering her mouth. "So there are children?" she asked. Sasuke nodded.

"Yes. At least one." He confirmed.

Kakashi sighed. "Well, we at least know about the girl. We'll keep the search up to check if there's anything more though." He said, scratching his head idly.

Itachi nodded before turning to Sasuke. "Let's carry on Sasuke. And this time don't wander off." He almost growled the last bit, reaching up and poking Sasuke between his eyes like he used to do when the boy was little. Sasuke reached up to rub the spot, frowning at his brother in annoyance, but Itachi merely walked past.

Still scowling, Sasuke followed him, shoving his hands deep in his pocket.

He ignored the blatant giggling he heard to his left.

* * *

It was getting late now, the sun slowly starting to sink behind the horizon. The crew had searched through all the rooms, with only the outside area left. Kabuki Fuu had a rather large garden surrounding her home, with a decent sized, deep pond in the back garden.

Kiba and Sasuke were walking towards it, looking around for any odd signs. The others were inside, discussing what to do. Kakashi had said they have the choice of excorsising the ghost then and there, but there was a chance that it may fail or backfire, since they didn't have anything belonging to the ghost to use as a medium. The other was to keep up the search until they could discover more and then try to convince the ghost to move on to the next world by itself.

Kiba had offered to search around outside for anything that might be considered useful, and Sasuke had tagged along for the sake of getting away from that annoying giggling that only he seemed to hear.

"So, Sasuke...I heard you saw Naruto again?" Kiba said, his arms folded behind his head as he walked. Sasuke nodded, a small smirk on his face.

"Ah. As it turns out, we're going to be in the same class from Monday onwards." He said proudly. Kiba laughed, stopping his walk to clap Sasuke on the back.

"Talk about good luck! Damn, I wish I was in your school...the three of us would totally rule that place!" he insisted.

Sasuke smirked wider. "Ah. I'd be the evil overlord and Naruto would be my bride." He joked.

Kiba guffawed loudly. "Hey, hey what would I be?"

Sasuke turned to stare at him. "You'd be our faithful guard dog." He deadpanned.

Kiba scoffed. "Couldn't expect anything else from our Bastard now could we?" he teased.

Sasuke nodded, continuing his walk along the ground. The sun was getting even lower, the darkness starting to fall across the garden. Shadows cast by the house swept over them and the air was getting colder as the sunlight waned. Sasuke shivered slightly, wrapping his coat around himself a bit tighter.

"Damn, it's cold." He grumbled. He heard Kiba hum in agreement and turned to answer when there was a soft splash.

The two boys whipped around to stare at the pond nearby, seeing the crystalline black water.

"...Did you hear that?" Kiba asked quietly, walking up to Sasuke slowly. Sasuke nodded, his eyes narrowing against the darkness.

"Yeah."

"Think it's the ghost?" Kiba asked, also staring out at the pond. Sasuke didn't answer, instead taking a small step closer to the small pond.

He felt a strange sensation wash over him, as if someone was tugging at his arm slightly, but when he checked there was no one there, not even a spirit. Still, the feeling was there, and it was pulling him towards the pond. He took another step closer.

"Sasuke, I wouldn't get to close." Kiba hissed from his spot a bit away, but Sasuke ignored him. The pulling sensation was getting stronger, along with a chill down his back.

The air around the pond was colder for sure, and Sasuke shivered again as he edged closer to the edge.

"Sasuke! Seriously man, that's not a good idea!" Kiba said. He took a step forward, but stopped when he heard what sounded like a giggle. He looked over his shoulder and gasped at seeing a white figure running away before vanishing into thin air with another giggle. "Shit."

Sasuke was near the edge of the pond now and he looked out over the dark waters. The sun had fully set, and the reflection of the crescent moon was shimmering in the water. Sasuke took another step until he was basically on the edge, his toes in danger of getting wet.

There was something about the pond that made him feel odd. He couldn't describe it, but something felt...wrong.

He looked over the waters and blinked when his eyes found a faint, white shape in the water, seeming to float in place.

"What is that?" he murmured to himself, crouching down. The white shape was misted due to the pond water, but he would make out something. It was almost shaped like a dress, but with a few distortions.

The pull was there again, and Sasuke leant farther over, his logical reasoning seeming to have vanished.

"_Marco..._"

The soft whisper was little more than a breath of air on the wind, drifting in his ears as if it was spoken years ago, and only now reaching him. His eyes widened as the blurred white shape in the water became clearer and a pair of empty eye sockets looked up at him through the water.

"_Polo..."_

The whisper was as soft as the first, but it was almost lost to Sasuke when a hand, cold, wet and transparent shot out of the water, grabbing his shirt and pulling him forwards and into the dark waters below.

* * *

Kiba only looked back when he heard the loud splash, and saw the edges of Sasuke's frame disappearing into the water. His eyes widened and he darted towards the pond, only to slip and fall to the ground when something cold wrapped around his ankle. Gasping, he looked back and saw his foot had gotten caught in a rabbit hole. He tried to free it, but his foot had gotten well caught.

He turned his head back to the pond, but he couldn't see Sasuke anywhere.

"SASUKE!"

* * *

As soon as the freezing water was past his ears, Sasuke's vision was filled with flashes of white and black. He kicked and struggled in the water, but something was still holding him. In the darkness, he spun in circles, bubbles cascading from his mouth as he struggled. When he finally got some bearings, he turned and saw the white shape in front of him. He could make it out clearly now.

It was the girl from the photo, her hair loose and billowing out behind her in the water. The lacy white dress she wore swayed and moved slowly in the water as her hand gripped his shirt tightly. But Sasuke was transfixed by the empty eye holes facing him. The girl had no eyes. She was blind.

"_Marco..._"

The voice whispered again, and the girl's hand released him, but Sasuke didn't swim back up to the surface.

Something was telling him to stay put for the time being. He had managed to retain some air, and he could hold his breath for fairly long. Something told him that he would find something interesting if he stayed. **(quick A/N: from here on you should listen to the song Haunted Nursery by Midnight Syndicate for full creepy effects... and you can also listen to the song Lullaby from the same people. Enjoy the creepiness.)**

"_Polo..._"

'_Marco Polo?_' he thought in confusion.

Suddenly, the girl's mouth opened, and from its depths, a white light shone, growing bigger and bigger until Sasuke was blinded.

He shut his eyes, bringing his arms up when suddenly it faded. Opening his eyes, he flailed in surprise when he saw he was no longer in the pond, but rather floating in midair. In the house.

But it was changed. Everything was almost greyish, or sepia in colour, like an old film. And the furniture and everything else was different. It was older and such.

Sasuke was floating in the air, his hair and clothes still swaying as if he was underwater, and he dared not open his mouth in case this was an illusion and drown himself.

There came giggling, familiar to him now, but it sounded more alive. He moved himself to look, feeling that the air was like water to him too. His eyes widened as he saw two young girls in white dresses, with long red hair standing together in a room that was undoubtedly a type of nursery.

They were clapping their hands together in one of those old children's games, singing some random and childish poem as they went. Sasuke watched as the game continued until one of them won. The two girls then stood up and turned to face him, and he blanched. The girl on the right had no eyes.

"_What game shall we play next, Kagome?_" the girl on the left asked, her eyes trained straight ahead.

"_...Marco Polo..._" Kagome replied, her lips twitching in a small smile. Her twin sister, undoubtedly, turned to look at her.

"_Are you sure, Kagome?_"

"_I am sure, Kakome._" The blind girl answered. Sasuke furrowed his brows.

'_Kagome? Kakome? That sounds like...the old children's game Kagome Kagome...but it can be spelled as Kakome Kakome too..._' he thought. He watched as the girls slowly took each other's hands and walked outside. He managed to follow them, drifting over them slightly, but he cast no shadows at all.

Kakome let go of her sister's hand and took several steps backwards. "_Alright, Kagome...you can start._"

Kagome nodded, gripping her hands in front of her. _"Marco."_ She called.

"_Polo!" _Kakome replied, already moving away as Kagome stepped towards her. She kept quiet, sometimes swirling around and letting her dress flay out. Kagome continued to call out, and Kakome would reply each time.

Sasuke continued to watch them until suddenly they stopped. He furrowed his brows and floated closer, not wanting to miss anything important.

"_What game do you want to play, Kakome?"_ Kagome asked softly. Kakome hummed for a moment.

"_Let's play tag."_ She said cheerfully. Kagome seemed to hesitate before smiling softly.

"_Alright." _She reached out and tapped her sister on the shoulder before jogging away carefully, heading away from the pond. _"You're it."_

Kakome giggled and jogged after her sister, not running as fast as she could have so as to make it fair for her sister. Sasuke watched as the two girls carefully made their way around the garden, sometimes catching each other and tagging each other. After a few more minutes, Kakome stopped chasing Kagome.

"_I need to use the bathroom, Kagome. Wait for me._" Kakome said, already turning to the house. She ran off without a second thought.

Sasuke watched her go before turning to the other. He blanched when he saw the girl was still jogging, obviously not having heard her sister's soft voice. His eyes widened when he saw she was heading straight for the pond, and Kakome wasn't there to tell her to change direction. He started flailing, trying to get to her, but he couldn't move now. He gritted his teeth as he saw Kagome run and fall into the pond with a sharp shriek. She sank below the water like a brick with her large dress dragging her down, her arms flailing and her mouth open.

Sasuke turned his head away, knowing he couldn't help. He wasn't a part of this world.

He heard footsteps, and Kakome came back into the garden, stopping in the middle and looking around.

"_Kagome?"_

Sasuke's eyes narrowed in sorrow as he watched her start a frantic search for her sister, calling out her name repeatedly. Eventually, the girl started calling something else.

"_Kagome this isn't funny! Is this a game? Marco!..."_

Sasuke blinked as the edges of his vision started blurring and he looked around, noticing the world seemed to be fading into blackness.

"_Marco!"_

"_Marco!"_

"_MARCO!"_ Kakome's voice was screaming over and over, fading.

As the image faded completely, and the blackness of the pond returned, Sasuke heard another, softer and sadder voice call out.

"_Polo..."

* * *

_

The cold air was sharp against his burning lungs and Sasuke gasped loudly and repeatedly as he broke through the surface of the dark water. His arms splashed violently against the water as he struggled to make sense of his surroundings. His entire body was aching from being in the freezing water for so long and his limbs felt numb. His eyes were burning from being open in the dirty water and he blinked rapidly as water dripped into them, making them sting even more. He heard someone shouting somewhere else, and a small part of his brain that wasn't freezing, confused or replaying what he had just seen, told him that Kiba was calling for help.

He splashed towards the edge of the pond, realizing that he'd gotten to the middle while he was underwater. As he neared the edge, he felt a pair of strong hands grabbing him and helping him up, while a half frantic, half angry voice yelled in his ear.

"What the fuck is wrong with you? Why did you go near the fucking pond! Why did you take so fucking long to get back out?" Kiba's voice screeched. Sasuke coughed and gasped in response, his head throbbing now.

There were surprised and concerned voices coming closer, but one was audible above the rest.

"Sasuke!" Itachi cried out, literally skidding to stop and his knees beside Kiba and grabbing Sasuke, pulling him flush against him in a hug and trying to warm him up a bit. "What happened?" he demanded, his Uchiha mask gone in light of his brother's safety.

Kiba fell back a bit, his clothes wet from dragging Sasuke out of the pond. "I don't know! This fuckwit just suddenly went to the pond, leant over and fell in, and took about half a fucking century to get out!" he said, but his anger didn't completely hide his concern.

Itachi pulled Sasuke closer, ignoring the fact that he was getting soaked. Sasuke was shivering immensely and Ms. Kabuki came forward, holding a large blanket. Itachi took it gratefully and wrapped it around his brother.

Sasuke was trying to speak. He had to tell them what he'd seen. He knew it was important but he was just so fucking cold.

"Kagome!" he managed to gasp out finally, his throat hurting. The others flinched at his sudden breathless outburst and Itachi held him closer.

"What?"

"The...ghost...her name...It's Kagome." Sasuke forced out, falling into another fit of coughing.

Itachi clutched him tighter. "How do you know this?" he asked.

"She was...in the pond...she pulled me in and...I saw what happened to her." Sasuke's voice was shaking as much as he was, but he was feeling slightly warmer thanks to Itachi's body heat and the blanket wrapped around him. By now, pretty much everyone had come outside and were crouching around or nearby, watching him worriedly.

"You saw?"

"It was...like I was watching an old movie while being in it too..." Sasuke swallowed thickly to try and ease his aching throat. "There were two girls...twins...one of them had no eyes. Her name was Kagome, and her sister was Kakome."

"Kagome and Kakome? You mean similar to the old game?" Kakashi asked. Sasuke nodded, heaving breathes even now. Itachi was rocking him ever so slightly, subtle enough to hide it from the others, but enough for Sasuke to feel it and be at ease.

"They were playing...first Marco Polo, and then tag...but then Kakome went inside quickly, and Kagome didn't realize it. She kept running around, and without Kakome there to tell her when she was heading to the pond...she fell in." Sasuke finished, looking back over the expanse. The white shape of Kagome's spirit was gone now.

Itachi also glanced over before looking back at Sasuke. His younger brother had kept his face lowered the whole time, trying to retain warmth, but Itachi needed to see something. He reached down and carefully cupped Sasuke's chin, lifting it up and forcing his brother to look at him.

"Sasuke, are you alright?" he asked. Sasuke slowly opened his eyes, finding they were still stinging. He hissed and shut them closed again, but Itachi's soft voice spoke. "Don't close your eyes. Try to keep them open and let the dirt wash out."

Sasuke nodded and opened his eyes, gritting his teeth when the stinging came back but he bore with it. His vision was blurry from the water and he could barely make out Itachi's expression.

Itachi, however was glad for this. For if Sasuke had been able to see him, he would have seen his shock. Itachi stared down at his brother's face and his eyes.

He swallowed.

'_I should have known it would happen sometime.'_ He thought.

He looked at Sasuke's eyes again, taking in every detail. Every line, every dilation.

Every inch of crimson red iris with black commas circling it.

* * *

Naruto yawned loudly and stretched his arms above his head, before lazily trudging over to the window of his bedroom. He pushed the glass panes open, letting the breeze flow past him and leant on the windowsill, looking out at the area. He could see the streets, other apartment buildings and shops, but he could see a park nearby too, and it looked both beautiful and eerie in the dark.

He leant his chin on his folded arms and sighed. "I wonder what Sasuke's doing?" he mumbled.

Soon after, he chortled a bit. "Geez, I'm going to see him in a less than a day. I need to relax or else his ego will inflate beyond the safety limits." He said to himself, grinning at the little tease which he could image Sasuke's smirk in reply.

After a moment, he was found himself staring out into the dark sky, humming absently and not really paying attention to what he was singing.

After a few moments, words followed the odd tune he was singing.

"_Kagome,Kagome._

_Kago no naka no Tori wa. _

_Itsu, Itsu deyaru? Yoake no ban ni! _

_Tsuru to kame to subetta. _

_Ushirou no shoumen daare_?"**(1) **

Naruto blinked, his glazed blue eyes catching light again as he pulled himself out of his bored stupor. He shook his head, wondering why he'd sung that old children's game song. It was quite the odd game after all.

He turned his head to look over his shoulder and groaned when he saw the large amount of boxes still to be unpacked in both his room and the hall.

Seriously, who would have thought Jiraiya could have so much stuff hidden away?

Sighing, he heaved himself away from the window and moved over the nearest box to get started.

"Hopefully when Sasuke comes we'll be able to get most of this done." He murmured, smiling slightly as he remembered that his boyfriend was coming over the very next afternoon. He began humming happily again, but two words kept slipping out of his mouth as he sang the old song.

"_Kagome, Kagome_."

* * *

**(1)- To learn about the epically creepy meanings of this song, and the game (children's games are so sinister! O.o) then follow this link...seriously, it's creepy, but interesting,...BUT IT'S CREEPY! *shudders* Link:** http: /en. / wiki /Kagome_Kagome

**Alright everyone, there was your super fast update, which, I'm still a bit huffed since it's come out after only 2 reviews on the last chapter...but then again, I didn't give many people that much time to read but still...Oh well. Hopefully this'll get some more reactions.**

**Anyway, a big thank you to those who reviewed, and to everyone who's reviewed before! Hope you enjoyed the chapter...I have...NO IDEA...when the next one will come out.**

**EVERYONE! I MADE A TRAILER FOR THIS FIC! HERE'S THE LINK! PLZ CHECK IT OUT! (no pressure :P)** http: /www. youtube. com/ watch?v=y3yYpvTXrKI

**That is all.**

**...**

**Press the button. You know you want to.  
**


	7. Last Farewell

**-sneaks into screen, wearing many layers of clothing and holding a box of tissues in one hand-**

**Ehehe...uh...Hi everyone! Sooo...it's been...fucking forever since I last updated this story...or any of my stories, actually...and I'm really, really sorry about that... but there's just been so much shit going down over here! Family shit, schooling shit, and on top of that I caught this badass fucking virus thing that's been going around the area I live, and man, let me just say it's sick as fuck. I've been having fevers on and off, been puking up everything I eat, been feeling stiff as an old hag and to top it off, I can't look at my laptop screen for more than like...ten minutes before I get dizzy and feel faint and then I feel like puking all over again! So yeah, it's been fucking tough, I'm still sick as fuck, and I don't know how long this flu thing will last...so please forgive slow updates...**

**But this chapter is pretty long, so hopefully that will help ease your anger over the long wait? Hopefully?**

**Anyway, don't got much more to say, really...other than I'm sorry for the long wait, sorry for the slow updates, and please bear with me if I don't update again soon.**

**Okay...oh, and just a quick note that a BIG Thank you goes out to my dearest friend SilverXStarlight for all her awesome encouragement, reviews, and her taking on the role of being my own personal Plot-Puppy! XD You rock, my dear! I dedicate this chapter to YOU!**

**And so, on with the next chapter.  
**

**

* * *

Last Farewell**

Naruto stirred slightly under his large blue blanket and rolled over, gripping he raven plush toy in his arms even tighter. He mumbled a bit in his sleep, rolling over a bit more. And then a bit more. And just a little bit more-

"OUCH!" he yelled as his face met the floor next to his bed.

He'd rolled a bit too far.

Groaning as his head throbbed a bit from the sudden impact; he rolled over once again and stared up at the ceiling through bleary blue eyes. The ceiling remained unfazed at his gaze, and after a moment, he frowned, wondering why it seemed darker than usual. After a few seconds, he actually bothered to sit up and check his surroundings, and his eyes widen slightly as he realized it was still dark.

"What time is it?" he mumbled, looking over at his alarm. He blinked, staring at the numbers. They were all blurry to him, and he couldn't even vaguely make them out. Frowning, he looked back at the rest of the room, but nothing else was blurred. Turning back to the clock, the numbers will still unreadable. He stared at it for a moment, wondering what was wrong before shrugging and blaming it on a faulty alarm.

'_Maybe the batteries are low or something_.' He thought, pulling himself to his feet. Stretching slightly, he decided to head over to the kitchen to get some water and check the time. Absently scratching his stomach as he walked, he ran a hand through his hair, wondering why everything was so quiet. Even if it was late, there was still the odd car or two that drove by, or the sound of late night strollers or drunkards passing.

Yet there was absolutely noise. He paused, looking down at his feet. He took a step.

There was no sound.

He frowned. He was sure that the floorboards creaked slightly. They did it during the day. What was going on?

"...Maybe I should wake Jiraiya up..." he mumbled, feeling a bit creeped out by the strangeness of the night. He padded down the hallway to Jiraiya's bedroom and started to push it open, walking through.

Well, he tried.

With a soundless thud, his face met the wood when the door didn't even budge under his touch. Hissing, but not really feeling any pain, he backed away from the door, frowning.

"Okay, seriously what the hell is going on?" he mumbled, slightly glad that he could at least hear his own voice. He tried to open the door again, but it wouldn't move. Feeling more than a little nervous, he tried to force the door open, and even started knocking on it.

"Oi! Jiraiya!" he called, knocking loudly. There was no answer and still the door refused to move. "Jiraiya!...Dad! Hey dad, open the door!" he called, knocking a big harder and calling a bit louder.

He was about ready to start kicking the door when he heard something. A deep, low groan, coming from where the kitchen was. He spun around, thinking that perhaps Jiraiya was in the kitchen and possibly hurt. Without stopping to consider, he made his way hurriedly to the kitchen. There was some light glowing from the doorway, and he heard another deep groan.

Or was it a growl?

Ignoring the bad vibes in the air, he continued on and yanked open the door.

Flames the size of large dogs were licking up the sides of the walls. The ceiling was cracked and caving in, and everything was just a large burning haze. Naruto felt his eyes widen even as his face began scorching. But he couldn't bring himself to move. All he could see was the large, flaming image of a gruesome fox amidst the flames. It opened its mouth and let out a roar.

It all happened so fast, he really only got a glimpse before he was screaming, and someone was yelling. Everything was a blur of red and yellow and black and white.

"NARUTO!"

He shot up so fast, his head spun, and he heard Jiraiya give a surprised shout from beside him. Obviously he had not expected the blonde to wake up so quickly. For a moment, he just sat panting for breath, one hand clutching the sheets while the other ran through his head nervously. Jiraiya leant forward a bit, his old face showing even more wrinkles due to his worried frown. He reached up and placed his large hand onto Naruto's forehead, checking to see if he was feverish and a sigh of relief escaped him when the temperature was fine.

"Are you okay, kid?" he asked. Naruto blinked rapidly, trying to clear his vision from the blur of having sat up so fast. After a few moments he gulped and nodded.

"Y-yeah. Just had a really weird dream." He said, leaning back against his headboard. "But it only lasted like, a second so I don't remember it all that much." He added.

Jiraiya frowned. "A second? You've been thrashing around for half an hour! I've been trying to wake you up for ages." He said incredulously. Naruto blinked, his mouth forming a small 'o' in surprise. The two of them stared at each other, each trying to think of something to say before finally, the sound of the phone in the living room went off, snapping them out of their dazes. Jiraiya huffed as he stood up, patting the edge of Naruto's bed absently.

"If you're okay, I'll go answer that." He said, and left when Naruto nodded the affirmative.

Naruto, for his part, climbed out of bed slowly, trying to remember the dream. He frowned, wondering how it could have lasted half an hour when it seemed so very quick to him. Finally, he shrugged, and placed it as the fact that dreams were something people couldn't fully understand, and therefore they could do whatever they wanted. Yawning and stretching, he walked over to his window and pulled the curtains back with a happy cry.

"Good morning sunshine-" he stopped, staring at the torrents of rain pouring outside. After a moment, he yanked the curtains closed again. "Never mind!" he said, turning around and heading for the kitchen.

He walked in and saw Jiraiya sitting at the counter, the mobile phone from the living room pressed against his ear as he spoke.

"Okay...so the house will be a bit busy?...No no, that's fine! I can still come over and fix it. No, I doubt I'll be getting in their way, or them in mine. It's the roof after all...Hm? Oh yes he's here...Okay then, hang on." Jiraiya looked up from his call at Naruto. "Naruto, I'm going over to an old friend's house today to fix a small leak in their roof. They want to meet you. Want to come with?" he asked.

Naruto hummed. "Well, sure. But don't forget that Sasuke's coming over for the weekend later so..." he trailed off, the rest obvious. Jiraiya nodded.

"Don't worry, it won't take very long. We'll be home in time to meet your boyfriend." He smirked as Naruto scowled at him with a blush. Jiraiya only snickered at him and continued talking to the person on the other end.

Naruto prepared some cereal for himself and sat at the counter, slowly munching away on the way-to-sugary-to-be-healthy food. As he stared into space, his mind wondered back to his raven haired boyfriend, and a smile curved his lips.

'_I wonder what he's doing now?_' he thought, his spoon clinking against the ceramic bowl loudly.

"Naruto! Get dressed, we'll be leaving in an hour!" Jiraiya called, and Naruto groaned, dragging himself off his chair and taking his bowl of cereal with him to his room to get changed.

"Fine you old pervert."

"Shut up brat!"

Naruto snickered and skilfully dodged the shoe thrown at him, hearing it thump against the wall after he was in the safety of his room.

* * *

Sasuke sighed, leaning against the wall and looking out the window at the rain currently splattering against the windows. He chewed on the inside of his lip absently, not really paying attention to his surroundings. His throat itched and he discreetly coughed into his hand, clearing the itch before sniffing. He frowned when his eyes landed on the pond in the garden, and memories of last night played in his mind.

Thanks to Kagome's little tricks, Sasuke had gotten a mild fever from being in the freezing pond for, according to Kiba, the 'longest recorded time of a duck being under water'.

Kiba still had a bruise on his cheek for that one.

Sasuke crossed his arms, and huffed softly, before glanced towards the clock on the wall. It was almost midday, and he was getting restless. He wanted to leave this stupid haunted house and get his bags so he could rock up at Naruto's house and start his stay there. After all, it was an entire weekend with the blonde. He had so much molesting to do; he had to get to work!

Sasuke smirked, already thinking of ways to make his boyfriend breathless when the door to the room he was waiting in finally opened, and Itachi walked in, holding a folder. The older raven took one look at his brother before smirking.

"Calm yourself Sasuke. You will get to see Naruto-kun soon enough." He said, his eyes glinting teasingly as Sasuke blinked and looked down, his cheeks flushing as he realized he was pretty much popping a tent.

Cursing his brother under his breath, Sasuke thought of Lee's old mentor, Maito Gai, in a pink bikini, and his problem was gone in an instant, replaced with a disgusted shudder.

Itachi snickered softly at his little brothers actions as he walked over and sat on a nearby chair. "So, Sasuke...as it turns out, you were right. Fifty years ago, there was a family that lived here, and there were two young girls too. Twins, in fact. And one of those girls was our dear Kagome." He said, flipping open the folder to show the pictures. Sasuke grunted, shifting slightly.

"Did you think I was wrong? I didn't make that stuff up." He said, a little arrogantly. Itachi glanced at the ceiling- An Uchiha eye-roll- and sighed.

"No, it's not that, Sasuke. It's just that this brings about a very important, very delicate subject. There is a reason why you saw what you did, and it was not only because the spirit wanted to show you." He said, his tone serious. Sasuke blinked and moved away from the wall, taking a seat across from his brother.

"What do you mean?" he inquired. Itachi leant back, another sigh slipping from his throat.

"This actually goes back in our family history. It's something that I'd only heard rumours of before, until I got my own confirmation. I've been looking into it for years, and have found out a few things. With some help from Kakashi, especially, I've figured out quite a bit." He said slowly, crossing his legs.

Sasuke stared at him, feeling curiosity gnawing at his insides. "What are you talking about, Itachi?" he asked, wanted a clearer answer. Itachi looked him in the eye, seeming to debate with himself for a moment before he closed his eyes.

"Our family...has a history of psychic abilities."

Sasuke stared at his older brother blankly, his lips in a thin line. Itachi stared right back, his face as emotionless as ever. For a moment, the two brothers just sat there, staring at each other. The rain continued to patter against the window, sending rivulets down the glass and creating an almost abstract design on the panes, as well as a gentle thrum of noise on the roof, giving the air of serenity and an almost heavenly cleansing feeling as the world was washed in the natural shower.

"...Weasel says _what_ now?" Sasuke blurted out, his eyebrows almost vanishing into his raven hair as they rose up in surprise and confusion. "Our family has _what_?"

Itachi scowled at the nickname, but smoothed his hand over his shirt. "Psychic history, Sasuke. Please try to keep up." He said.

"Keep up? You come out and tell me this and I'm not allowed to do some double takes?" Sasuke asked, his eye twitching slightly. Itachi sighed, rubbing his temple with his index finger before he fixed Sasuke with a look.

"I thought it might be a bit too soon to bring it up. Tell you what, you spend the weekend with Naruto and relax. Come Sunday, I'll take you aside and explain everything I know to you. Hopefully you'll have a bit more of a grip by then. Although I can't blame you, really, with everything that's happened recently." Itachi said, already moving to stand up. Sasuke followed suit, still looking a bit lost at the sudden news.

"Yeah...Let's do that. I don't...I don't think my mind is really able to take that kind of news in right now." He said slowly, frowning. Itachi nodded and walked ahead of him, leading the way to the living room where Kabuki Fu was waiting. Sasuke followed along, only now noticing the silence of the house.

"Uh...Where are Kiba and the others?" he asked as they walked down the hall. He passed the family portrait, glancing at it only to take another look. It was normal, but he was sure he'd seen Kagome looking blindly-no pun intended-out at him through the glass. Deciding not to wait around for yet another _crack-back_, as he now thought of it, he hurried after his brother, keeping his eyes straight rather than on the passing pictures.

"Kiba left with the others to go and find out about Kagome's sister. If she is alive, we plan to bring her here so that she and her sister can say their last farewells." Itachi explained as they reached the living room. Fu stood as soon as they entered, and smiled.

"Is everything all right?" she asked, before directing her gaze at Sasuke when he coughed again. "Would you like some cough medicine?" she asked kindly. Sasuke shook his head.

"No thank you, I'm okay." He assured politely. She nodded.

"A friend of mine is coming over to help me with something, but they won't be long. I thought that since the rest of your group are out, it wouldn't be too much trouble?" she said, looking apologetic. Itachi waved his hand as he sat down.

"It's no trouble. Sasuke and I are only here to make sure nothing unfortunate happens." He dismissed with a nod. Fu nodded just as there was a knock at the door.

"Ah, that must be them. Please excuse me." She said, and quickly walked towards the front door.

Sasuke sat down, sinking into the couch cushions and throwing an arm over his eyes. He decided not to even bother dwelling on what Itachi had said. He didn't want to have a migraine. After his crack-back experience last night in the pond, he wasn't exactly looking forward to another one, and considering the possibility of psychic abilities in his family, he really didn't want to focus on it.

It could only lead to confusion, headaches and possible nervous break downs.

And everyone knew those weren't good things.

Distantly, they heard the door opening and Fu talking to whoever had come over, but Sasuke wasn't listening. His head was too busy playing images of his blonde boyfriend. He let out a groan.

"I want time to hurry up and pass already." He grumbled. He heard Itachi snort softly.

"It's only two more hours before you can go." His brother said. Sasuke just groaned again and leant back.

"But I want to go now!" he said, knowing he sounded childish, but not caring since it was just him and his brother that could hear it. Itachi started snickering and Sasuke raised his arm to glare at him. "Shut up."

"You're like a lovesick puppy all over again." Itachi teased. Sasuke scowled at him when he heard something.

"-Yeah, it's nice to see you too."

His eyes widened and he looked despairingly at his older brother. "I'm even hearing his voice!" he said, sounding rather depressed.

Itachi stared at him for a moment. "...Well...I heard his voice too...so unless we're both lovesick, hallucinating boys, then I think that Naruto-kun is actually-"

"Here!" Sasuke finished, already climbing over the back of the couch in his sudden haste. He heard Itachi calling after him, reminding him how un-Uchiha like he was acting but Sasuke ignored him. All in all, when it came to Naruto, everyone would act a bit out of character, he was just that special.

He was halfway down the hall when he heard footsteps approaching. His Uchiha pride resurfaced from the depths of his being, and he fumbled for a moment, his arms flailing as he tried to get a pose before he practically slammed himself against the wall, crossed his arms and put on his 'cool' face.

He skilfully ignored Itachi's soft laughter a few feet behind him, and instead focused on staring at the wall as the people approached.

Fu walked around the corner first, talking over her shoulder to her guests. "And I was getting very concerned, so I called over a special team, actually, and it's been very- Oh! Are you alright, dear?" she asked, spotting Sasuke and smiling at him. He turned to look at her, keeping his face blank, while secretly trying to peer over her shoulder.

"I'm okay." He said.

"Teme?"

Sasuke smirked widely, his eyes lighting up as a familiar and most welcome head of blonde hair appeared before him before he was being shook roughly.

"What the hell are you doing here? Are you stalking me or something?" Naruto asked, his face beaming like a lighthouse. Sasuke calmly gripped his wrists to end the shaking and smirked back at him.

"Now why would I stalk an idiot like you?" he said teasingly, his smirk widening even further when Naruto growled.

"Jerk." The blonde huffed, but he made no move to pull away from the raven.

"Oh my, you two know each other?" Kabuki Fu asked, smiling at them. Naruto looked over his shoulder, sending her a five star smile.

"Yeah! He's actually my-"

"Sasuke and Naruto are dating." Jiraiya said, coming up behind Fu. The poor lady's cheeks went pink as she looked at the two, but she smiled.

"O-oh! I see." She said. She looked about awkwardly. "Uh...Jiraiya, let me show you where the leak is! I dare say these two would like some...alone time." She said shyly, already pulling on Jiraiya's arm and leading the laughing man away from the two teens.

Naruto watched them go with a raised eyebrow. "...Well she seems nice." He murmured. Sasuke snickered, and started pulling Naruto back towards the living room, still suppressing his grin at the fact that once again, he'd bumped into Naruto due to chance.

"So, what are you doing here Sasuke?" Naruto asked, walking closer to him and grinning, his face clearly expressing his joy at seeing the raven sooner than expected. Sasuke smirked.

"We've got a job. This house is haunted."

The reaction was almost instant, and had Sasuke been a lesser man, he would have laughed his ass off. However, he knew better. Naruto went pale in record time before clamping onto Sasuke's arm, his eyes wide and darting around as if expecting some crazed spirit to shoot out of the floorboards and start eating him alive. Sasuke let the now scared blonde grip him, but when he started losing feeling in his right arm, he sighed.

"Relax, Naruto. There's only one ghost, and she's harmless." He said. '_Mostly..._' he added mentally, remembering the fact that she had, in fact, dragged him into an icy pond.

Naruto loosened his grip, but still stay pressed close to Sasuke, and his eyes continued to dart around the place nervously.

"H-have you seen the ghost?" he asked softly, seemingly scared to talk to loud. Sasuke sent him a reassuring smirk.

"Yes I have, and there's no reason to be scared." He said loudly, demonstrating to his boyfriend that whispering wouldn't make it any safer. Naruto swallowed again, edging slightly away from the raven and trying to calm his nerves.

"Sorry...I'm still scared of them..." he murmured. Sasuke smiled, his eyes softening. He reached over and gently cupped Naruto cheek with his hand, running a thumb over the whisker like scars. When Naruto looked up, Sasuke leant in and placed a chaste kiss on his lips. Just a little something to ease the blonde's worries.

"Don't trouble yourself. The ghost is nothing more than a little girl who wants to say goodbye to someone. There's no need to be afraid. Besides..." he placed another kiss on the blonde's now smiling lips. "I won't let anything hurt you."

Naruto grinned, his eyes sparkling. "Do you often have chick flick moments, Sasu?" he asked teasingly. Sasuke snorted and backed up, smacking the blonde on the shoulder.

"Dobe." He smirked. Naruto chuckled and the two continued down the hall.

"So, she's really harmless?" The blonde asked again. Sasuke sighed.

"Yes. She's fine. We probably won't even see her again-"

A flash of white and a soft giggle passed them.

"HOLY SHIT!" Naruto screeched, almost knocking Sasuke out as he flailed around in fright. Sasuke ducked the deadly fists that were being carelessly swung around, and glared in the direction Kagome's spirit had gone.

"I hate kids." He muttered darkly.

* * *

Kiba absently scratched his head as he stood outside the small cottage that looked like something out of a fairy tale. Beside him, Kakashi was patiently reading his favourite porn book while Hinata stood to the side, holding a small folder in her hands. The rain had lightened up a bit, but the drizzle was annoying, in Kiba's opinion. He hated it when it was like this. It was as if the damn weather couldn't decide if it wanted to rain or not. He thought it should either be sunny or storming. No grey area was needed.

He was brought out of his musings when they heard the door click before creaking open softly, revealing an old woman who looked out at them hesitantly.

"Can I help you?" she asked cautiously, one hand tugging a bit nervously on her long white hair. Kakashi snapped his book closed and placed it in his back pocket, giving the woman a hidden smile.

"Hello. Are you Ongaku Kakome-san?" he asked cheerily. The old woman blinked owlishly before nodding slowly.

"Yes I am. What can I do for you?" she asked, opening the door a little bit wider. Kakashi held his hand out and Hinata gave him the folder, which he flipped open, glancing down at the page.

"Ongaku-san. I'm not going to beat around the bush here, because frankly I find that annoying most of the time. I'm here about your twin sister, Kagome." He said.

Kiba looked to the side, chewing his tongue. He was a bit surprised at Kakashi's bluntness.

'_And since when does he not like beating around the bush? He's the one who fucking plays dodgem cars in a conversation._' He thought.

There was a sharp intake of breath from Kakome, and for a moment Kiba feared her old heart would give out and then they'd have to deal with twin ghosts.

"W-what about her?" Kakome asked slowly, her face now guarded but showing sadness.

Kakashi glanced down at his folder again. "Her spirit needs to be put to rest. She is still wandering the grounds of your old home. She has not left yet. We would very much like it if you could please come with us back to your old home, so that your sister may say her last words and be at peace." He said.

Kiba saw Kakome's eyes widen and instinctively he knew what was about to happen. He was about to laugh at the fact that she was slamming the door on them, but when Kakashi gripped his arm and threw him forwards, Kiba's laughter was cut short by the door hitting his stomach. He coughed and cursed.

"OW! DAMMIT KAKASHI! WHAT THE FUCK?" he yelled. The masked man had used him as a doorstopper to prevent Kakome from close the door!

Kakashi only smiled and patted Kiba on the head. "Good work Kiba."

"You asshole!"

"Why thank you."

"I'm going to kick your ass for that!"

"I rather like my bottom the way it is."

"Fuck you!"

"I don't do my employees." Kakashi said nonchalantly, walking over and pushing the door open again. Kakome was standing back, looking terrified.

"Who are you! Get out of my home!" she shrieked. Kakashi waved his hands in a 'calm-down' gesture.

"Please, Ongaku-san, we are not here to harm you in any way. What I said was absolute truth. Kagome's spirit is still wandering that house, and she has already caused harm to one of my employees." He said.

Kakome snapped her head up. "My sister would never have hurt anyone!" she insisted angrily.

"Perhaps that was not her intention, but my employee was pulled into a freezing pond and held under there by her spirit for...how long was it Kiba?" he asked, turning to the brunette.

"A fucking long time! And I'm still going to kick your ass!" Kiba growled, rubbing his chest while Hinata helped him check for bruises. Kakashi turned back to Kakome.

"He was held under for a long time. So you see, while she may not have harmful intentions, she may cause harm inadvertently." He said seriously.

Kakome gripped the front of her lilac blouse, her hands shaking slightly as she stared at Kakshi with wide, frightened eyes. The rain continued to patter outside, the sound of it lightly drumming on the roof of the cottage creating a background noise that would betray the tense air. After a long moment, Kakome took a shaky breath.

"I can't...I can't go there." She said softly. "If I go..." she trailed off, her eyes looking glazed.

Kakashi sighed. "Ongaku-san...the family that lives there now could very well be in grave danger unless you help us put your sister to rest. She deserves it, does she not?" he said softly, using his most convincing gaze.

Kakome swallowed, looking up at him and he could see her resolve fading. After a moment, she looked to the side, and Kakashi followed her gaze to see a picture of the two twins when they were young girls. Kakome took a breath and ran her finger over the frozen image of her sister.

"This was taken a week before she died." She whispered softly, her eyes shimmering at the memories.

Kakashi stood patiently, while Kiba and Hinata waited in the doorway silently. Kakome continued to stroke the picture for a minute or two before she sighed and straightened, looking directly at Kakashi.

"...Please tell me how I can put my sister to rest." She said.

Kakashi smiled approvingly and motioned for her to follow. "Thank you very much, Ongaku-san."

* * *

Naruto couldn't stop looking over his shoulder every two minutes, and it was slowing him down on his supposed-to-be-short trip to the toilet. He would've waited for Sasuke to come with him, but Itachi had needed to speak to him about something or other and Naruto really, really needed to pee. So, considering Sasuke's assurances earlier that the spirit in the house was just a harmless little girl, Naruto had decided to put his balls back into place and go to the damn bathroom on his own.

Now, as he walked through the dim hallway, hearing nothing but the rain, which seemed to get heavier as the day wore on, he was starting to reconsider the benefits of having balls in place of having some safety away from ghosts.

As he passed the many family pictures hung along the walls, he couldn't help but feel like they were staring at him in a non-picture way.

"Get a grip Uzumaki!" he hissed to himself, even as his knees shook in fright when he thought a portrait of Fu's nephew blinked at him. Hurrying down the hallway, he reached the first door and flung it open in triumph, only to sag his shoulders when it turned out to be nothing more than a storage cupboard.

"Nice. Fail number two for the day." He mumbled, remembering the morning and his failure at greeting the non-existent sunshine. He closed the door and continued down the hall, still glancing around every now and then. When he finally reached another door, he pulled it open carefully and sighed with relief when he confirmed it was the bathroom. He stepped inside and closed the door, hopping over to the toilet and fumbling with his zipper, the need to pee almost painful by now.

"Shit, shit, shit!" he hissed as he struggled to unzip his jeans. When he finally accomplished his goal and relieved himself, he let out a sigh.

"That was close." He mumbled, chuckling slightly. After he was done, he tucked himself back in and went to wash his hands. He let the cool water run over his soaped fingers before leaning down a bit to splash some water on his face. When he was done, he turned the tap and reached over for the towel blindly, snagging it and patting his face. He wiped over his eyes and finally looked up into the mirror above the sink.

There was a little girl in a sopping wet, white dress standing in the bathtub behind him, her eyes missing.

Naruto felt his scream escaping his throat and in a blind panic, he threw the towel down and bolted from the bathroom, running as fast as his legs could take him through the house.

"SASUKEEEEEEEEE!"

* * *

Sasuke's head snapped up when he heard Naruto's scream, as well as Itachi. The front door opened and Kakashi rushed in, along with Kiba, Hinata and an old lady he didn't recognize. Fu also came into the room, looking worried and Jiraiya followed through, his eyes narrowed.

"Who was that?" Kakashi asked, hearing heavy footfalls as whoever had screamed came barrelling down the hallway.

Sasuke was already moving forwards to the hall entrance, and he reached it in time to see a flash of gold. "Naru-"

"SASUKE!" Naruto yelled, his voice cracking in fright as he threw himself at the raven, wrapping his arms and legs around him and holding on for dear life. "SHE WAS RIGHT BEHIND ME!"

Sasuke caught the blonde, but the force of the hit sent him stumbling backwards, and he collapsed onto the floor, holding the slightly smaller and shivering teen in his arms. He coughed a bit from the weight, but otherwise hugged the blonde to calm him down.

"Calm down, dobe. I told you she wasn't going to hurt you." He said soothingly.

"THAT'S NOT THE POINT! SHE WAS _RIGHT_. _THERE_! AND SHE WAS JUST STARING AT ME AND SHE WAS ALL WET AND CREEPY AND-" Sasuke quickly slapped a hand over the blonde's mouth, stopping his endless screaming.

"You're okay now, dobe. I'm here and she's not. Just relax." Sasuke commanded, petting Naruto's head gently.

Kakashi stared at the two boys on the floor. "...Hang on, when did he get here? What is he doing here anyway?" he asked, pointing to Naruto. Itachi smirked and sat back down.

"Jiraiya-san came over to assist Kabuki-san with a leak in her roof. He brought Naruto along. It was all pure coincidence, really." He explained smoothly.

Kiba grinned, getting over his initial shock at hearing someone scream and then the sudden appearance of the blonde. He strode over to them and hit Naruto on the back harshly, ignoring the yelp from the blonde and the murderous glare from his raven haired friend.

"Yo Naruto! Long time no see!" he greeted loudly. Naruto looked up, his face cracking into a smile as he recognized the brunette.

"Kiba! Hey man, how are you?" he asked, climbing off of Sasuke to give the dog-lover a hug. Kiba patted his back roughly, grinning before they pulled apart.

"I'm good. Still hunting spirits so that scaredy-shits like you can sleep peacefully at night." He said, laughing when Naruto scowled, his face slightly red. Sasuke got to his feet, coughing a bit into his hand as he did so. Kiba looked over at him, frowning.

"Still coming down with a cold?" he asked. Sasuke just grunted and coughed again. Kiba sighed and fixed him with a half glare. "Well that's what you get for letting a ghost drag you into a freezing pond at night." He scolded.

Sasuke opened his mouth to retort, but was interrupted by two fists clenching in his shirt before his vision was filled with blue eyes mixed with anger, concern and fear.

"You...were..._what_? You told me she was harmless! She _dragged_ you into a pond?" he demanded, looking on the verge of either hitting Sasuke or running for the hills. Sasuke sent Kiba an annoyed glare for spilling that bit of information, but he quickly turned his attention back to his boyfriend, grabbing his wrists and trying to pry them from his shirt.

"It was nothing, Naruto. It was my own fault for getting so close." He said calmly, placing a kiss on Naruto's forehead when the blonde looked ready to argue. Naruto stared at him for a moment, his lips turned down in disapproval, but he let it go, wrapping an arm around Sasuke's waist and staying close.

Kakashi stared at the two for a moment before shaking his head. "Okay, whatever. Anyway we've got work to do." He said, turning to the others. "Everyone, this is Ongaku Kakome-san." He said, motioning to the old woman that had come with him. Sasuke looked up at her, and found that he easily recognized her from his crack-back experience, despite the aging.

Kakome gave a small wave, her eyes slowly raking over the room as if expecting her sister to appear in a second, which very well may happen. Kakashi moved to the centre of the room and cleared the coffee table, placing a sheet of paper in the middle before reaching into his back pocket for a small marker he had. With skilled and well practised strokes, he drew out different symbols on the paper, all ending up to form a circle created from different symbols. Once that was done, he stepped back.

"Hinata, please close the curtains." He instructed, and the pale girl quickly moved to follow his order, pulling the curtains closed and sending them into a dim light. Kakashi turned to Fu. "Do you have any candles?" he inquired. She nodded, heading into the kitchen and returning a minute later with several candles. Kakashi took them with a grateful nod and quickly set about lighting them and placing them around the sheet of paper. Once it was set up, he turned back to Kakome.

"Alright. Just like we discussed on the way here, Ongaku-san." He said, moving aside. Kakome swallowed and nodded, stepping up to the table and kneeling down. She nervously reached out a hand, placing it palm flat on the centre of the paper. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes.

"...Kagome? Can you hear me, sister?" she said, her voice shaking.

Naruto clutched Sasuke's arm tightly, and Sasuke made sure to hold the blonde close. Kiba and Hinata stood nearby, holding hands and looking around expectantly. Kakashi and Itachi stood on either side of Kakome, while Jiraiya and Fu stood to the back, watching curiously. There was a long moment of silence where nothing out of the ordinary seemed to happen. Finally, Naruto's grip relaxed, but he still stayed close to Sasuke.

"What now-" There was a sudden rush of cold air in the room, and Naruto let out a squeak, burying his face into Sasuke's chest while the raven wrapped his arms around the shivering blonde. Hinata had her Byakugan activated, and she was studying the room intently, looking for the spirit. Finally, she gasped.

"The ceiling!" she said, causing everyone, even Naruto, to look towards the roof. The sight that greeted them was enough to make Naruto feel faint, and Kakome looked ready to cry.

Seemingly stuck to the ceiling was Kagome's spirit. She still wore the white dress she had died in, and it was still dripping wet, the small droplets vanishing before they could reach the floor. Her red hair was splayed out against the ceiling behind her head and her empty eyes stared ahead, small trails of water leaking out of them and down her cheeks.

Kakome clutched one hand over her heart while keeping the other pressed to the paper. Her eyes were shimmering with tears as she stared up at her dead sister.

"K-Kagome..." she whimpered, a few tears rolling down her cheeks. Kagome moved suddenly, pushing away from the ceiling and slowly dropping down until she was hovering above the table, her face not too far from her elder twin's face. Kakashi and Itachi were tensed, in case things turned ugly.

Naruto stared at the ghost girl, his face pale and his eyes threatening to fall out of his head, even as Sasuke soothingly rubbed his arms and made hushing sounds softly. The raven watched as Kagome's spirit floated closer and closer to Kakome before finally there was only an inch separating their foreheads.

"Kagome...I..." Kakome let out a choked sob. "I'm so sorry, Kagome. I'm so sorry for leaving back then." She whimpered. Kagome's head tilted to the side, as if in question. Kakome sobbed again before continuing. "It's all m-my fault that y-you...d-died! I s-should've looked out f-for you more! I should have t-taken better care of you!"

Kagome lifted both her transparent arms until her hands were resting on Kakome's cheeks. The old woman gasped, surprised to find that the ghostly hands were...warm. Slowly, Kagome floated closer until the twin's foreheads were touching. The ghost's mouth moved slowly, but no sound came out. However, with each movement, Kakome's eyes widened and tears began pouring down her cheeks without restraint.

"K-Kagome...Y-you really mean it? You r-really forgive me for l-leaving you?" she whispered brokenly. Kagome smiled, and it was to the awe of everyone that she no longer appeared wet, pale and dead, but she was dry, her skin was a healthy peach tone, even if it was still transparent, and she looked very content. Kakome reached up her free hand, running it through her sister's hair even though it wasn't really there before she closed her eyes and sighed.

"Yes...I love you too, Kagome. And I enjoyed playing our games...I'll always enjoy them." She whispered. "F-farewell...sister..."

Kagome smiled, placing a soundless kiss on her twin's forehead before she slowly floated away, fading into nothingness as she went before there was no longer a trace of her spirit anywhere in the house.

She had moved on at last, having finally said her last farewell.

* * *

**-coughs into hand and blows nose- **

**So, how was it? Please leave a review to let me know, and sorry for any grammatical errors, but I just wanted to get this out already, since it's been so long... But hopefully there was nothing too serious, ne?**

**Once again, sorry for the long wait.**

**P.S- Due to an idea from my awesome Plot-Puppy XD I've decided to make a separate bunch of oneshots that consist of some of the Rei-Senzai crews other ghostly investigations...you know, ones that I can't fit into the story without throwing everything off track or making it loads longer than is necessary. So, not sure when they'll start coming out, but just keep an eye out for, what will be named, the Rei-Senzai X-Files.**

**See you next time!  
**


	8. Overloaded with Information

**I AM SOOOOOO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG! *bows and cries frantically* I hope non of you are mad at me for the hideously long wait! T^T**

**But, hopefully this reasonably long chapter that is stuffed full of info for you will be enough to apologize? Eheh?**

**Anyway, I really apologize for the wait, and I love everyone who's reading and reviewing this story, you're all incredible and I can't describe how glad I am to know there are people who like this story!**

**There's some usefulness in this chapter though...It's time for Itachi to talk to Sasuke. :D**

**Warnings: swearing and a whole lot of talking about STUFFS! :D**

**Disclaimer: Is Sasuke part of a paranormal investigation crew? No. Is he perving over Naruto's ass in his dreams? No...well, there's a good chance, but the law states I have to say no. Therfore, I do not own Naruto or Sasuke or ANYONE!**

**Enjoy!  
**

**

* * *

Overloaded With Information**

The weekend seemed to move much too fast for Sasuke's liking. He honestly couldn't believe that it was really Sunday already. Where had his weekend of molesting his boyfriend gone?

Currently, Sasuke was lying in Naruto's bed, staring up at the ceiling of the bedroom. Beside him, Naruto was fast asleep, his light snoring never once wavering in pace. He would occasionally shift and snort, and once or twice Sasuke had heard him mumble the word 'Ramen' in his sleep.

He was a bit disappointed that Naruto wasn't mumbling his name in his sleep, but then again knowing the blonde, he couldn't expect any less. Naruto would most definitely be the type to dream of his favourite food over his boyfriend.

Trying not to be lost in despair of this fact, Sasuke rolled over onto his side and let his eyes trail over Naruto's sleeping face. In a time of cliché rule, he might've said that Naruto looked angelic in his sleep, but at the moment he had to admit that the blonde looked nothing more and nothing less than absolutely _comical_.

His blonde hair was swept to the top in his sleep, giving him a Mohawk hairstyle. His arm was tucked beneath the pillow, causing it to squash against his face harshly, pressing his cheek upwards and making his open mouth slant oddly, giving him an almost lopsided grin. Drool threatened to drip out of the corners of his mouth, and occasionally when he snorted, his nose would twitch.

Sasuke rolled over again, slapping a hand over his mouth to stifle his chuckles. He couldn't stop the smile that curved his face though. However, seeing how it was early in the morning and there was no one to see it, he didn't really mind. Besides, Naruto gave him more than enough reasons to smile.

"Shit." He hissed, pinching his arm in the hopes that the girlish thoughts would hastily vacate his mind. Honestly, he was losing his bastard edge! And that just wouldn't do at all.

He sighed and sunk deeper into the covers, enjoying the warmth they gave. Behind him, Naruto snuggled closer, mumbling about ramen again as he did so. Sasuke snickered softly and reached back to grab Naruto's hand and hold it tightly. The sleepy fingers subconsciously squeezed back and Sasuke smirked happily.

There was a creak outside the door, causing Sasuke to look up and stare at the wooden barrier. He stayed still, wondering if Jiraiya was heading down to the bathroom, but somehow he didn't think so. There was something in the back of his mind going off, like an alarm bell. The small hairs on the back of his neck stood on end when another creak sounded, and Sasuke sat up slowly so as not to wake the blonde beside him.

A frown made its way onto his face as he looked at the door, almost waiting for it to burst open and reveal a person in black with a bag full of stolen goods. He found himself hoping that should a disturbance arise, that it would be a human.

If a spirit was here, he wasn't sure what to do. Just because he knew of their existence didn't suddenly make him some kind of expert. The only chant he had actually learned was one to create a low level barrier, which would repel even lower level spirits. He didn't have any spiritual sort of weapons with him either. Well, at least he didn't think so.

Sasuke frowned when another creak sounded and a chill ran up his spine. His eyes glanced towards his bag sitting on the other side of the room. He easily located the side pocket where a small string of beads with a cross attached was sitting. He remembered when Itachi had given it to him, just before he left to Naruto's house.

_Itachi's cold hand grabbing his made Sasuke look up in surprise while his brother pressed something into his hand._

"_Here, otouto. Keep this with you." Itachi said, removing his hand and revealing the small beaded string and cross. Sasuke held it up, raising one eyebrow as he saw it._

"_What's this doohickey for?" he questioned, examining the small charm._

"_It's just something to help keep away the bad ghosts that may be roaming around." Itachi smirked, placing his hands on his hips. Sasuke's other eyebrow rose._

"_You think Naruto's place is haunted?" he asked incredulously. Seriously, was there no spirit-free zone in the world anymore?_

"_It's not to say that Naruto's home is haunted." Itachi said slowly. "It's...more to say that spirits might end up being drawn there." _

"_Drawn there? Why?" Sasuke questioned, not understanding._

"_Because you're there." Itachi replied seriously. Sasuke stepped back, his eyes showing his utter confusion and a bit of anger._

"_What? Why would ghosts come just because I'm there?" he demanded. Itachi sighed, clapping his hands on Sasuke's shoulder._

"_I'll explain it all when you get home, little brother. For now, just go and enjoy your weekend, and keep that little charm close. I'll have my cell with me, so call if you need anything."_

Sasuke flinched slightly as another creak sounded, seeming closer than the others. His eyes darted back to his bag. Biting his lip, he carefully pushed the covers off, making sure not to wake Naruto, and placed his feet on the floor. With as much stealth as he could muster, he pushed himself up and crept towards his bag, crouching down to get to the side pocket. He reached in and pulled out the small string, narrowing his eyes when it jingled slightly. In the silence of the night, it was much too loud.

The air seemed to grow even colder as Sasuke stood up and turned. He looked in the direction of the door, wondering what he should do.

'_In horror movies, it's at these moments when the character goes to investigate...and often, depending on how many characters there are, gets killed._' His mind supplied. Another creak sounded, and Sasuke was about to get back into the bed and ignore them, since it was just some noise, when there came a soft rattling sound.

He froze, his eyes snapping to the door to see the handle rattle softly again. His breath caught in his throat as the door slowly began to open, the hinges squeaking slightly. Sasuke's eyes shot to Naruto, who was still sleeping peacefully. He felt himself moving forward and before he knew it, he was on the bed, his body moving to block Naruto's from sight as he turned to face whatever was coming through the door.

There was a flash of white before a pair of wicked, glowing yellow snake eyes were boring into his even as something slimy and wet wrapped around his neck and suddenly there was a flash of red.

"_Let me out!_"

* * *

Sasuke felt his face crunch against the floor before he heard the sound effects to go along with it, which included his own grunt of pain. His leg was still tangled in the blue covers of Naruto's bed, leaving him half on the bed and half off.

"Oh shit! Sasuke are you okay?" Naruto's voice asked even as he felt two hands grab around his torso and haul him back up. His head was spinning from the impact of his fall, and for a moment he was confused as to what was happening.

A groan made its way out of his throat and he gingerly reached up to feel his abused face, wincing. He felt Naruto's hands caressing his cheeks as the blonde assessed for damage, and slowly peeled open his eyes to look.

"What happened?" he mumbled, his voice laced with sleep. Naruto shrugged, gently moving his fingers over the bruise forming on Sasuke's forehead.

"I don't know. I woke up just as you rolled away in your sleep. You must have been having one heck of a dream for you to move so suddenly." He noted. Naruto was glad to see that Sasuke hadn't really damaged his face much, but he would have a bruise. However, nothing some ice and good old Naruto-loving couldn't fix. Gently, he coaxed Sasuke out of the bed and towards the door so that they could head to the kitchen.

Sasuke, for his part, was still grappling with his sleep fogged mind.

'_It was...all just a dream?_' he wondered groggily as Naruto pushed him to sit in one of the stools by the counter. He groaned slightly, reaching up to feel the area around the bruise. It throbbed underneath his touch, and for a moment he stared into space before his brain caught up with his nerves.

"...Ouch." he grunted.

Naruto shook his head, returning to the raven with a small ice pack. Grinning, he pressed it against the bruised area where a bump was already forming. Sasuke hissed as the cold bit through his skin, and took the time to glare at his blonde boyfriend. Naruto snickered lightly at the look.

"Don't be a baby, Uchiha." He teased.

Sasuke growled in response and reached up, fisting Naruto's shirt and dragging him down. He clamped his lips firmly against the blonde's, giving no time to protest while he forced his tongue through the parted lips.

Naruto's eyes fluttered closed and soon he was kissing back, Sasuke guiding him so that he was seated on the raven's lap. The blonde let his hands find purchase on Sasuke's shoulders while the raven used one hand to hold the ice pack and the other to press against Naruto's lower back and keep him seated. Their tongues massaged against each other, and Naruto groaned softly when Sasuke slipped his hand into his pants, reaching down to cup his butt.

"_Ahem_, please keep all activity rated PG-13 in my kitchen, boys."

Naruto pulled back sharply, his eyes widening as he looked over his shoulder to see Jiraiya leaning against the archway, smirking. While Naruto sputtered angrily, Sasuke let his head rest against the blonde's chest and sighed.

"Interruptions at every. Fucking. Corner." He mumbled darkly.

Jiraiya laughed his usual booming laugh and walked into the kitchen, heading to the fridge.

"Good morning to you, Sasuke. Had a good sleep?" he asked, looking over and frowning. "What did you do to your face? Naruto slug you when you tried to rape him?" he asked.

Naruto huffed and Sasuke glared. Jiraiya only shrugged.

"It could happen."

"No. No it really couldn't." Sasuke snapped. "I'd never rape Naruto."

Naruto nodded happily, in total agreement with his boyfriend.

"I wouldn't have to rape him, since he'd be begging for it anyway, so he wouldn't hit me either." Sasuke finished, smirking.

Naruto nodded again before the sentence caught up with him and he growled, jumping off of Sasuke's lap and turning to him, shoving a finger in his face.

"As if asshole! Uzumaki Naruto does not beg for anything!" he yelled.

"Naruto, would you like ramen for breakfast?" Jiraiya called. Naruto spun around, his eyes shining.

"Really?.!" He asked. "You'll let me have ramen for breakfast?.!"

"If you beg." Jiraiya smirked.

Naruto growled, crossing his arms. "..." Jiriaiya tauntingly waved a pack of miso ramen in front of him, and the blonde pouted, his eyes looking longingly at the little packet. Finally, when Jiraiya was slowly moving to put the ramen away, he snapped.

"Fine! Fine! Please, pretty please can I have ramen for breakfast? Please?" he said, clasping his hands together in a begging pose. Both Jiraiya and Sasuke smirked in triumph, and Jiraiya kindly tossed the bag to the blonde, who caught it and laughed like a madman , clutching the packet. Sasuke shook his head at his boyfriend's antics.

"You're such a ramen freak."

Naruto nodded eagerly, not at all denying it. "And proud of it." Definitely not denying it.

Sasuke snickered while Naruto moved to make himself ramen. Sasuke himself settled for cereal, which Naruto also made for him while the raven sat with the ice pack pressed to his face. While Naruto hummed a nameless tune over the stove, and Jiraiya sipped coffee and read over his notebook of porn, Sasuke sat in thought.

The supposed dream from earlier was bugging him.

It had seemed so real. He could remember it all, and what made it worse was he knew exactly which spirit had come through the bedroom door.

Yakushi Orochimaru.

But he was supposed to be gone. Kakashi had vanquished him back in the orphanage. He couldn't be here, or anywhere. He was gone for good.

So why did he feel unconvinced.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, leaning down on the counter. His shoulder throbbed and he skilfully ignored it. He could tell the mark on his shoulder was most likely burning again.

Sasuke heard a soft curse and glanced over to Naruto, smirking when he saw the blonde trying to blow on a spoonful of soup to taste it, and suddenly the throbbing on his shoulder was gone.

As he absently watched his boyfriend, his mind replayed the words he'd heard spoken in his supposed dream.

"_Let me out!_"

Sasuke decided he needed to figure out what that meant...but not right now. He had a boyfriend to eye-rape.

* * *

Itachi ran a hand through his hair, brushing it back. His arm then splashed down into the water of the bath and he lay back, letting the water wash over his muscled chest. The soapy water was steaming, giving the bathroom a hazy look. The Uchiha moved his hand through the water, not really focusing. His mind was elsewhere, mainly on the conversation he was going to be having with his baby brother once he got home.

Itachi closed his eyes, relaxing and letting the hot water calm his tense muscles. He hoped Sasuke wouldn't have a freak out when he told him about their family's history. Although, there wasn't too much reason to freak out so perhaps he shouldn't worry. But somehow, he could see Sasuke getting a little worked up. He himself had had a moment of struggle to come to terms with it all.

Suddenly, he heard the front door open and Sasuke's voice calling out.

"I'm home Itachi!"

Itachi sat up quickly and cursed when he accidentally knocked a bottle of conditioner over. He grabbed it, the lid popping open and some of the substance squirting out onto his chest. He capped the bottle and looked down, seeing the gooey white stuff splashed across his torso.

'_It kind of looks like..._' He shook his head, scowling. '_Damn Kakashi! His perverted nature is rubbing off on me now._' He thought grumpily as he washed the conditioner off and climbed out of the bath. Grabbing a towel, he quickly dried himself before tossing the fluffy material over his shoulder and walking out of the bathroom in all his glory.

"Welcome home, Sasuke."

Sasuke, who had just thrown his bag onto the couch, turned around, his expression bored. As soon as he caught sight of Itachi, his eyes widened comically before he let out an uncharacteristic scream and covered his eyes.

"OH GOD I'M BLIND!"

Itachi frowned, crossing his arms. "Are you saying I've got a hideous package?" he asked, annoyed. He was rather proud of his endowment.

"YES!"

"It is not!"

"IT'S FUCKING...OH GOD I SAW _CITIES_! AND TAXIS AND BUSES! AND A FUCKING _STATUE _IN A _PARK_!" Sasuke yelled, rubbing at his face furiously while Itachi blinked in amazement at how weird he was acting. "PUT SOME FUCKING CLOTHES ON!"

Itachi scoffed and pulled the towel off his shoulder, wrapping it around his waist. He stole a glance at his lower region and frowned.

"Naruto-kun's stupidity and tendency to overreact seems to have rubbed off on you. I do not have cities and taxis and buses and 'a fucking statue in a park', as you say." He said coolly. "And I'm covered, stop trying to gouge your eyes out." He added.

Sasuke paused and slowly, wearily peeked through his fingers, almost like a child watching a scary film. When he saw Itachi's junk was hidden, he let out a relieved sigh and slumped down onto the couch.

"Well, I'm officially scarred for life." He stated. Itachi scowled and walked over, promptly smacking the younger raven upside the head. Sasuke just smirked in response.

"If you're done your Naruto-impersonation, can we please talk? We've got a lot to discuss." Itachi said, crossing his arms.

Sasuke blinked and straightened. "Yeah. It's about our family's history, right?" he asked. Itachi nodded, sitting down beside him. He ignored Sasuke when he pulled his bag away from his thigh as if he was going to contaminate it.

"Ah. Our family's psychic history to be exact." He amended. "Are you ready to hear it, or would you like a few moments to go and put your balls back on?"

Sasuke growled and whacked his arm with a pillow. Itachi glanced down at his arm, then the soft cushion, and finally his brother's face.

"You're never going to Naruto's house again. They completely change your character." He said monotonously.

Sasuke punched him in the arm hard enough to bruise.

"Ah, there's the brother I know." Itachi smirked. "Now then, let's get serious."

Sasuke shifted, leaning forward slightly and placing his elbows onto his knees. His fingers laced together and he rested his mouth against them, much like he used to and waited patiently for Itachi to continue.

"Alright. Now, as you know, the Uchiha clan has been around for as long as the Hyuuga clan, really. The only difference was that while the Hyuuga's stayed packed up together like sardines in a can, the Uchiha's spread out over the globe. Hence why we're the only Uchiha's here, save for Madara but he doesn't count because he's a dick." Itachi smirked while Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Get on with it, Itachi."

"So impatient. Anyway, I suppose I should just come out and say it. The Uchiha's had a slight relation to the Hyuuga clan, from many, many centuries ago. We're sort of like distant cousins to them, really. And...the Uchiha clan also has psychic abilities, like the Hyuuga's. And what's more, those abilities are focused on the eyes."

Sasuke blinked. "So...do we have that...'Byakuya' shit?"

"It's called 'Byakugan', and no, we don't have that 'shit' exactly." Itachi corrected. "What we have is a different type of psychic-eye. I did research on it, and discovered it is called the 'Sharingan'."

Sasuke tested the name on his tongue and frowned. "It sounds like some kind of sound effect in a manga." He stated. "I mean... 'SHARING-an'." **(1)**

Itachi smirked in amusement. "Definitely not going to Naruto-kun's again." He murmured, and snickered at the glare he received. "Anyway, despite its Manga-effect name, it's a rather powerful psychic-eye, and the abilities that come with it are not to be taken lightly." Itachi's face was serious, and Sasuke knew all jokes had to be put on hold.

"What are the abilities?" he asked.

Itachi gave a light shrug. "They differ. Each and every Sharingan is different. There are no two of the same, at least not to my knowledge. However, there are a few consistent abilities, such as being able to see spiritual energy, being able to sense a spiritual presence within a certain radius as well as being able to memorize spiritual patterns and signatures. Each eye does it differently, but they do something of the like. However, it seems each eye also has a special ability significant to that eye alone."

Sasuke saw Itachi shift and looked at him carefully. "...So...do you...have it?" he asked slowly.

Itachi took a breath and nodded. "I do." He looked directly into Sasuke's eyes. "And so do you." He said slowly.

Sasuke stared at him, his mouth slightly open in surprise. After a moment, during which his mind had worked at tried to work at high speed only for a cog to fall loose and start ricocheting off the walls and smashing everything to shit, he finally forced out two words.

"...Say what?"

"You have the Sharingan too, Sasuke." Itachi replied immediately. Sasuke let out a breath and rubbed his face with his hands before letting his fingertips ghost lightly over his eyelids.

"...So...I'm a psychic?" he asked, his voice showing his disbelief. Itachi tilted his head to the side.

"Well, to put it simply, yes." He said. "In all honesty, the Sharingan is much more advanced than the Byakugan. While the Hyuuga's are able to see, trace and analyze spiritual energy, as well as use their special techniques to disperse it at will, the Sharingan has the capability to not only see it and study it, but also absorb and destroy it."

Sasuke looked up. "Destroy it? As in it ceases to exist?" he asked. Itachi nodded.

"Exactly. The Byakugan allows for people like Neji to use their own spiritual energy to attack other spiritual energy, namely wandering ghosts and demons. They do this by forcing their spiritual energy out of their body at the exact moment they strike. The sudden surge of powerful psychic energy disrupts that of the opposing ghost, and causes it to scatter. On top of that, Neji's spirit energy would remain mixed in with the ghost's and thereby keep it from regrouping. Hence the ghosts cannot appear again, and more often than not, is forced to move on. That is how the Byakugan works, in a very basic explanation."

Sasuke swallowed and licked his lips, his hands flexing slightly. "So then...how does the Sharingan work? How does it differ?" he asked.

"The Sharingan is a powerful psychic ability. It not only allows us most of the same benefits as the Byakugan, but it also enhances our spiritual energy in a very special way. The Sharingan is able to turn our spiritual energy into a type of cleansing energy, similar to that which is used by monks and priests. The energy is powerful enough to not only disperse other spiritual energy, but also consume it. Once the ghost's energy is consumed, and is turned into our own energy, the Sharingan then reabsorbs a small portion of the energy. In other words, we are able to absorb spirits themselves and use their own energy against others."

"It's like a recycling system." Sasuke murmured, once again touching his eyelids softly. Itachi agreed.

"Yes, it's exactly like that. The Sharingan expends spiritual energy, but it also absorbs it. That is why our supply of energy is almost unlimited. Not only are our bodies made especially for these eyes, but they take in energy from the outside from the moment they are activated. However, for someone who was not born to this, and their body does not have the genes and genetic codes instilled, constant use of the Sharingan can cause tremendous strain and damage to the body."

Sasuke nodded. "But, Uchiha's are the only ones with the Sharingan, so that's not really an issue, right?"

Itachi sighed. "Well, not quite. It's possible for other people to obtain the Sharingan." He said.

Sasuke snapped his head up, confused. "...But you said it was from the Uchiha clan! If anyone can get it, it's not really a clan thing is it?" he asked.

Itachi shook his head. "No, it's true. Only Uchiha's are _born_ with the Sharingan. But there is a way for others to _attain_ it." He said pointedly. Sasuke stared at him, his brows furrowed before a look of realization and mild horror took over his face.

"You don't mean..."

"Yes. If a person were to take the eyes of an Uchiha with the Sharingan, they would be able to activate it, and use it's abilities." Itachi confirmed. Sasuke swallowed.

"Wait...how do you know that?" he asked, feeling more than a little disturbed at the images flashing in his mind of people ripping out his eyes. Itachi sighed and leant back.

"Because...Kakashi has the Sharingan too." He said, and there was a shocked silence before he continued. "He got it from cousin Obito on the day he died." He finished softly.

Sasuke could only stare at him in shock, his hands loosely clasped in front of him and his mouth in a thin line. After what seemed like forever, he let out a strained question. "...Kakashi ripped Obito's eyes out?"

"No!" Itachi snapped quickly. "No, that's not it. The two of them were friends, and they went to investigate some rumours of ghosts near an old hospital. One ghost they met was a doctor, and she followed them around. Then another one was a violent spirit, which caused a rockslide. Obito saved Kakashi, but he got crushed. Half of his body was buried beneath the rocks, and only one eye was exposed. Obito knew he was going to die, so he asked the doctor spirit to take out his eye and give it to Kakashi. It was all done willingly on Obito's part. Kakashi didn't want it, really." Itachi explained, looking down at his bare legs and brushing off some fluff from the couch cushions.

Sasuke leant back, his arms relaxing against his legs as he stared ahead. Now that he knew that Kakashi had the psychic eye of Sharingan, it made sense to him now. He could understand how Kakashi had gotten rid of Orochimaru's spirit, as well as all the others. It also explained how he seemed to know where a ghost was, sense a presence as well as understand so much about spirits.

Itachi kept silent, letting Sasuke think about all of this. He had been right in waiting to tell Sasuke until after his weekend. The raven was much more relaxed and easy going after spending time with Naruto, and he was taking this news gently. Itachi was glad that he wasn't getting worked up. He had been nervous that Sasuke, who didn't like the supernatural in the first place, would become distressed at learning he himself was a kind of supernatural. After all, psychics weren't ordinary humans, but rather humans that were greatly connected to the spiritual world, hence their abilities. While normal people could indeed see ghosts and demons if the things decided to show themselves, they had no way of really understanding the things or getting rid of them.

Finally, Sasuke sighed loudly. "So, I have psychic abilities. So do you and Kakashi. And each Sharingan has its own special ability...so what are ours?" he asked, his voice a little more strained than before. Obviously the weight of things was starting to come to him.

"Well, Kakashi seems to be able to create a type of vortex. His Sharingan alters the spiritual energy in the air, and causes it to form into a type of portal that sucks in the spirit energy within a small radius. That spirit energy is then scattered completely before being absorbed or destroyed. However, it causes a great strain to Kakashi's body. So he doesn't resort to that very often. He prefers using the methods the monks and priests have created, since they are more suitable for regular humans." Itachi crossed his legs and his arms, staring ahead thoughtfully.

Sasuke leant one arm against the armrest and placed his face against his open hand, waiting for his brother to continue. Although his outward appearance was calm, his mind was still going over everything as well as things in the past, piecing things together and uncovering mysteries he'd long since put aside in favour of logic.

"As for my own eyes, I'm still researching them. But the ability that I have developed is something I like to call 'Amaterasu'."

Sasuke glanced at his brother. "...'Amaterasu'?" He smirked. "..Seriously?"

Itachi frowned. "It's a nice name."

Sasuke snickered. "Sure, Itachi. Whatever you say." He said, looking away, his shoulders shaking with his silent laughter. Itachi stuck his lower lip out slightly in what some fools would call a pout, but the wise would call 'slightly-aggravated-lip-movement'.

There were not that many wise people though.

"Anyway, carry on." Sasuke prompted, still smirking. Itachi sniffed, feeling a bit insulted but heeded his brother's request. This was more important than a disagreement on names after all.

"As I was saying, I've been doing research on my own eye in order to try and discover more about the Sharingan's potential. I think I might have a few clues as to how it came to be and how it's encoded into our genes, but that's not really important for you to know. It's more something I want to discover to satisfy my curiosity. Now, the way my Amaterasu works is when I activate it, it detects the most powerful spiritual energy in the area. Then, it collects all of that powerful energy and mixes it with my own before changing it into a cleansing energy. Once that's done, it is projected at whatever supernatural thing I looked directly at, and the energy engulfs it with tremendous force, and to put it simply, burns away the other spiritual energy. It's a destructive ability for sure, and the amount of cleansing energy it generates is enough so that others can visibly see its compressed form. It would appear to be black flames to them."

Sasuke was staring at his brother in slight awe. "And you've used it before?" he inquired.

Itachi ran a hand through his slightly damp hair and nodded. "I've used it a total of four times before throughout my life. The first time..." he let out a sigh, "...was the night our parents died." He saw Sasuke stiffen in his seat, but decided to continue. No doubt Sasuke would be curious anyway.

"When I got up the stairs and came through the bedroom door, I saw you standing there, and the demon that had killed mother and father was about to strike you. I didn't have much control. I didn't even know what it was. But I saw you were in danger, and it just happened. My eyes burned for a split second before the thing was gone and I was holding you and pulling you out of the house."

Sasuke stared straight ahead, his eyes glazed over at the memories of that day. He shook his head, dispelling the thoughts and cleared his throat. "Uh...go on." He said.

"The second time was not too long after that. You'd gone upstairs to bed and I'd decided to check to make sure you were asleep. When I opened the door, there was a ghost hovering over you and it was a violent one. Once again, my Amaterasu activated without my conscious decision, and I destroyed that ghost. By then, of course, I had suspicions and I began to look into our family history. The third time I used it was during an investigation with Kakashi quite a while ago. And then the most recent was at the orphanage." He finished simply.

Sasuke nodded, rubbing his hands together and taking a breath. He knew what was coming next, and his gut was clenching in anxiety over it.

"...And...well, what...what's my ability?" he asked, clearing his throat after the word 'ability left his mouth, as if it was a burning liquid.

Itachi folded his arms. "Well, I can't say for sure, since I'm not you." He said bluntly. Sasuke looked at him blankly, and Itachi sighed. "But I do have a few ideas. Mostly because of what happened to you in the pond at Kabuki-san's house. I think that your Sharingan might have the ability to show you visions of the ghosts' past. Perhaps random history, or perhaps the day they died. I'm not sure, and it would take further testing to be su-" Itachi was cut off as Sasuke bolted off the couch, waving his arms.

"Whoa, whoa! What? _Testing_? If you think I'm letting you get anywhere near me with a probe, then you-" Itachi pulled his towel open, a blank look on his face, and Sasuke's rant was cut off as he spun around, covering his eyes and gagging.

"Foolish little brother, I have no intention of probing you, nor would I want to. When I said testing, I meant that we'd attempt to activate your Sharingan and study it to discover what its abilities and potential is." Itachi said calmly, flipping his towel closed again and smirking.

Sasuke swallowed, and shook his head, still facing the other way. "No...No way." He mumbled.

Itachi raised a brow. "I assure you, Sasuke, I'm not going to _probe_ you."

"No! I mean I'm not going to activate this Sharing-shit! I'm not going to work towards becoming a psychic!" Sasuke snapped, turning around. "I hate the supernatural! I hate ghosts and demons and whatever other crap is out there! I'm not going to willingly start looking at something that will only immerse me even further into that world!"

"If you truly think you are not already fully immersed into the supernatural world then you're a bigger fool than I imagined!" Itachi snapped. "You've already seen that world, been exposed to it, and been affected by it! There's no turning back for you."

"Fuck that! I'm not going to live my life dealing with supernatural! I'll find a way around it! I'll find a place where there are no ghosts or demons or anything!" Sasuke said fiercly.

"That is impossible! Everywhere you go, there will always be a supernatural presence lurking nearby." Itachi said, standing up and clenching his fists. He'd been afraid this would happen. Sasuke wasn't going to like the rest.

"Why? Why do I have to deal with it?" Sasuke yelled, his eyes wide and filled with anger.

"Because ghosts, demons and monsters are drawn to those with such strong spiritual energy!" Itachi said loudly, and a heavy silence fell over the room, but he continued soon, his voice even and emotionless. "Psychics have no choice in the matter. Spirits, whether violent or not, will always gather in their area due to the strong spiritual energy. That is why psychic clans usually stick together in one place, and that place is usually surrounded with barriers and seals. The Hyuuga clan has been in Konoha forever, and this city has a high supernatural rating. That's why we usually have such good business! Ghosts are drawn to this city because there are so many beings with high spiritual energy."

"Then I'll move away! I'll find some small place where there are no psychics and live there!" Sasuke insisted.

"And what about Naruto?" Itachi questioned quickly, deciding to ignore the slight hurt that Sasuke wasn't hesitant about leaving his own brother behind.

"I'll take him with me." Sasuke replied instantly.

"And if he doesn't want to go?"

"I'll make him want to."

"And what about everyone else, Sasuke? What about me?" Itachi asked quietly, turning away. He felt annoyed that he'd said something so sentimental, but the thought of Sasuke leaving made his stomach clench horribly. Sasuke was his baby brother, who he always had to look out for. If he suddenly up and left...

Itachi didn't want to think of that reality.

Sasuke snapped his mouth shut, looking at the floor. In all honesty, when he had talked about going away, he hadn't really thought about what he'd be leaving behind. But he really didn't want to live a life that was constantly pulled into the world of demons and monsters. He'd even been considering quitting Rei-Senzai for a while, ever since the orphanage job.

Silence hung between the two Uchiha brothers as each looked everywhere but at each other. Itachi was berating himself for losing his cool the way he had and for appearing so sentimental in front of his sibling. He knew, in all honesty that if Sasuke really wanted to leave, then he could not stop him. The boy was old enough now to make his own decisions, really. But Itachi had always been there with him, had always been around him. The older Uchiha's entire world revolved around his younger brother, and to think that he may have to say goodbye. It was enough to make Itachi scared.

The more Sasuke thought about leaving, however, the more he realized that he wouldn't be able to do it. As much as he hated the supernatural and as much as he wanted to get away from it...there were just too many things holding him here in Konoha. He loved his older brother, not that he'd admit it aloud, but he did. Itachi had always been there for him, had practically raised him. He wouldn't be able to move far away from Itachi right now. Maybe in several years, once he was more independent, but now...there was no way.

But it wasn't just Itachi keeping him rooted. There were others too. Naruto was right next to Itachi. Sasuke loved the blond moron to pieces, and couldn't bear the thought of never being able to see him. And for all his talk of 'making' Naruto leave with him; he knew the boy wouldn't ever willingly go. Naruto loved Konoha and wouldn't choose to leave it unless absolutely necessary. And all the others too. Kakashi and Kiba and Shikamaru...everyone had become somewhat important to him now.

But he really didn't want to be a psychic of all things.

Sasuke groaned, covering his face with his hands. Itachi watched him carefully, sensing his brother's distress. He couldn't help but feel regret that Sasuke was born into the Uchiha clan and forced to become something he so disliked.

"Sasuke, I know that this is hard for you. If I knew any way to remove the Sharingan, aside from plucking out your eyes with a pair of tongs, then I promise you, I would do it. I don't necessarily want you to be in this life any more than you do, but it's the way it is and you won't be able to escape from it. That's why I want you to at least be able to control it and use it to help yourself and others. If ghosts are going to be a consistency in your life, wouldn't you rather learn how to get rid of them rather than have to turn to others all the time?"

Sasuke groaned loudly again, sinking to his knees. "This is so unfair." He mumbled through his fingers, and Itachi frowned at how defeated he sounded.

"I'm sorry, otouto. I am going to be looking into the possibility of removing the Sharingan in a non harmful way. If I find away to repress it, or remove it and allow you to live a partially normal life, I will do it without hesitation the moment you ask." Itachi insisted softly, kneeling down to his brother's level.

Sasuke sighed, his hands falling to the floor in front of him. This was really not what he wanted to be doing, but he knew that Itachi was right. If he truly was psychic, and there was quite a bite of evidence to point to it, then he was going to have to deal with it.

He stayed still, gathering the pieces of his composure and putting them back into place like a craftsmen building up his latest piece. Itachi watched, visibly seeing each piece being delicately put into place. Once Sasuke had finished rebuilding his shields and mask, he looked up, that usual stoic look on his face.

"Fine. I'll do the tests or whatever." He said. Itachi smirked.

"Great. Just let me get my probe and we'll begin." He said, standing. He didn't bother to hide his laughter at the sight of Sasuke's eyes growing wide in horror.

His little brother was too funny sometimes.

* * *

**(1)- I personally think that the 'Sharing' part of the name, when said with a Japanese accent, sounds like the sound effect I'd give to the gleam coming off metal in a manga. XD But that might just be me.**

**Hope you liked the chapter! Reviews would be lovely!  
**


	9. School Days

**OH MY SOUL I'M SORRY! *starts jumping around frantically* My poor readers, I've kept ye waiting for this for so long!**

**But I'm back with a new, long chapter. Hopefully you'll find it in your hearts to excuse my absence in this story? *sniffles pathetically***

**Kao: If you're trying to be cute, you're failing badly.**

**Me: Shut up dickhead! **

**Kam: Come on bro, don't tease her. She's been busy, and if you piss her off we'll never appear in a story again.**

**Kao: LIES! We've already appeared in Lawlie-Sama's story Untamed Love! HAH! Our fame is spreading!**

**Me: That is true, but I CAN STILL KILL YOU WITH A SINGLE THOUGHT FOR I AM DARTH VADER!**

**Kao: What?**

**Kam: What?**

**Me: What what?**

**Kao: What-oh forget it. On with the story already. And if any of you recognize where the name of this chapter comes from..well..Cookies for you!  
**

**Warnings: LOTS of swearing (WELCOME BACK HIDAN!) and...LE GASP a new enemy so soon?**

**Disclaimer: OH SURE! RUB IT IN! GO AHEAD!...asses. ¬_¬**

* * *

**School Days**

Naruto ran his hands through his hair, messing it up even more than natural before he looked at himself in the mirror. Tilting his head from side to side slightly, he took in his appearance carefully. Then he grinned and winked.

"I'm _so_ hot." He declared loudly, smoothing out his new school shirt and dusting off the black slacks.

The door to the bathroom opened and Jiraiya peeked in. "And you're going to be _so_ late if you don't hurry up, brat." He said, smirking when Naruto's expression grew panicked.

"Crap! I can't be late on my first day!" he yelled, roughly shoving past his father and streaking down the hall to grab his bag. Jiraiya laughed loudly after him.

"Be careful on your way there!" he yelled after his rushing son, and Naruto gave him a two fingered salute over his shoulder before slamming out the front door, bag on his back and jacket in his hand.

The blond jogged through the streets until he got to the bus stop, and almost screamed when he saw the bus was about to leave. Frantically, he waved his arm.

"Wait! Please wait!" he yelled at the top of his lungs. The bust, which had started pulling off, stopped and he darted through the door, panting heavily. "Thank you!" he breathed, giving the money for his ticket to the bus driver, who chuckled at him good naturedly.

"No problem, boy. Go find a seat." He said kindly, and Naruto grinned, nodding and moving through the bus.

There were a few free seats at the back, and he made his way over to one, slumping down and catching his breath. There was a girl sitting next to him, if the skirt he saw in the corner of his eye was anything to go by. He blinked when he recognized it was the school skirt for his school. Deciding that it never hurt to make a new friend before hand, he looked up with a smile.

"Hi there, I'm Na"- he froze, his eyes widening as he stared into equally wide, sea-foam green eyes. He recognized the girl instantly. After all, there weren't many people with pink hair.

"O-oh." Sakura stammered, blinking away her shock at seeing him. Naruto snapped his mouth shut, swallowing.

"Hi...Sakura, was it?" he said slowly and more than a little awkwardly. After all, he wasn't sure how to act around this girl. He could remember she had been a fierce opposition to his and Sasuke's relationship, since she had wanted Sasuke herself. And she had been more than a little rude to him, so he didn't exactly see her as a friend. But that didn't mean he was going to be outright cold to her. He still remembered the way she had handed Sasuke's bleeding and unconscious figure over to him in the basement of the orphanage. There had been something in her eyes back then that he'd noticed, but never really focused on.

She nodded, brushing some of her hair behind her ears. "Yeah. Naruto-kun...it's...been a while." She said weakly. He nodded, his foot tapping nervously.

This was a very awkward situation for the both of them.

"Yeah, it has. Uh, how've you been?" he asked, shifting. He was mentally urging the driver to hurry up and get them to school so that he could hopefully say a hurried goodbye and leave the awkward tension behind.

"I've been good. I've been, uh, taking a medical course. A-and what about you? You've been good?" she asked, clasping her hands in front of her.

Naruto nodded, clearing his throat. "Yeah, I've been good. Got adopted." He said. Sakura looked at him, nodding for him to continue. "Yeah, Jiraiya adopted me. And uh, we moved here. I'm going to school, obviously." He joked, motioning to his uniform. Sakura's lips twitched in a would-be smile, and he felt a bit relieved that they could at least be civil with each other.

"That's good. I take it your rather excited?" she asked. Naruto nodded, grinning his usual bright grin.

"You bet! I've never been to a public high school before." He frowned. "Actually, I've never been to a public school period. It's always been the orphanage teaching me." He said.

Sakura bit her lip, looking out the window. "Well good luck then." She murmured. Naruto blinked, wondering what she meant.

"Sorry?"

She turned, giving him a wry smile. "Just...public schools are very different to what you're used to. There's a ton more people, and tons of new procedures and stuff. Also, just keep in mind that not everyone is going to be very nice to you at first meeting." She said.

Naruto couldn't stop himself. "You mean like you were with me?" he asked.

Sakura stiffened, her lips pursing together tightly. Naruto felt the tension building up, and he frantically fished around for something to say. However, before he could the bus stopped at the stop outside their school, and Sakura stood up quickly, grabbing her bag.

"Good to see you, Naruto-kun. Welcome to Konoha High School." She said before promptly getting off the bus, her hair billowing in the wind. Naruto stared after her for a moment, his mouth open before he sighed, grabbing his own bag and walking off the bus.

"Well, that was pleasant." He muttered sarcastically as he joined the surge of students walking through the school grounds. Everything was so new and exciting to him, that he soon forgot all about his encounter with Sakura. He was absolutely taken with his surroundings, and he grinned constantly.

He knew he had to go to the office to get his schedule as well as a map of the school in case he got lost, but he couldn't help but dawdle a little, taking in everything. Students were gathered in groups, chatting and laughing while they waited for the bell to ring and the day to start. He walked past a group of girls who started whispering and giggling as he passed. Looking over, he sent them a charming grin, and felt his ego swell when they blushed and giggled excitedly.

Feeling his face starting to split with the force of his smile, he strolled towards the office, nodding to people he passed and receiving some smiles or greetings in return. It felt so cool.

"Hello there. You must be Uzumaki Naruto, correct?" the receptionist said as soon as he was at the office counter. He nodded.

"Yes miss."

She smiled and opened a drawer, reaching in and pulling out a few pieces of paper.

"Okay, here you are. This is your schedule. All your classroom labels are on there, so that you will be able to find them on the map as well. If you ever have any questions, feel free to ask any of the teachers and students for help. I hope you have fun today." She finished. He grinned, taking the offered papers.

"Oh I will! Thank you!" he called as he walked away, heading to his homeroom class.

People passed by constantly, and he continued to greet and nod. He didn't know what Sakura was talking about. So far, everyone had been perfectly fine with him.

He was only two doors away from his homeroom class when a group of guys stepped in front of him. The tallest sneered down at him, his hair short and in a buzz cut of some order. He had an earring in one ear, and a lot of his face was covered in some white powder of some sort. His two friends stepped on either side of him. One had large sideburns and a leer on his face, and the other had long hair and a scarf draped over his neck. It took a moment for Naruto to notice that the scarf guy had boobs, and was in fact a girl.

He stepped back to look up at the guy.

"Uh, can I help you?" he asked slowly, not sure why they'd gotten in his way.

"You're a new kid here, aren't you?" the side-burn guy asked. Naruto felt his gut clenching, and he could tell that these guys were not good news.

"Yeah, that's right."

The girl smirked, fluffing some of her black hair. "He's a cute one." He said, stepping closer. Naruto stepped away, looking at her out of the corner of his eye.

"Slow down, Kin." The leader, obviously, said. "I want first taste." He added and smiled lecherously.

Naruto blinked, suddenly figuring exactly what these guys were getting at. "Uh, I'm kind of involved with someone." He said, peering around them to see his classroom. There were a few students gathered, and most of them were watching. He felt a jolt of anger at the fact they were just going to stand there and do nothing.

'_So much for that_.' He thought in annoyance. He eyed the three in front of him, wondering how much trouble he'd get into if he decked someone on his first day. But he really didn't want to have that on his record. Fighting with the twins in the orphanage had been bad enough; he didn't want a repeat of it here.

"Oh, don't worry. We'll have our fun and leave you alone afterwards." The side-burn guy said darkly, reaching a hand out. Naruto flinched away, and the guy snarled, roughly grabbing his wrist.

"Zaku, don't be too rough." The leader said, but it wasn't much of an order, just a passing comment.

"Shut up Dosu!" Zaku spat. Naruto growled.

"Let me go, asshole." He said, wrenching at his arm. The guy held on, sneering.

"A pretty boy like you? No way."

Naruto groaned in his head. Wasn't this the sort of situation that girls got into in the movies? So why the hell was he in this situation? He was most definitely not a girl. Deciding that he'd had enough, he subtly reared his arm back.

"You've got five seconds to let me go before I give you a bloody nose." He said calmly.

The guys laughed and the girl smirked tauntingly.

Naruto sighed. He really didn't want to have this on his record, but he didn't want to deal with these creeps again. "Fine. Have it your way." He swung his arm, his fist hitting Zaku straight on the nose. Sure enough, as soon as he drew back, small droplets of blood dripped down.

"You bastard!" Zaku roared, pinching his nose in an effort to stop the blood flow. His friend Dosu snarled, stepping forward ad raising his fist.

"Punk! We'll teach you not to mess with-" the tall student froze, staring at the space Naruto had been standing, only to find it empty. The sound of whistling was heard, and he spun around to see the blond walking away calmly, whistling some random tune with his hands in his pockets.

Naruto held back a sigh when he heard the tall guy come after him.

'_Great. Just my luck. My first day at a real school, and I'm going to get into a fight._' He thought angrily. This was not how he wanted to spend his school life. Once again; getting into fights with the twins, those _evil_ bastards, at the orphanage was already enough 'school' fights to last him for a lifetime.

The students outside the classroom were all gasping and pointing behind him, but he could see his reflection in a window behind those students, and could clearly see Dosu charging up to him.

He smirked at the familiar situation. One of the twins had tried this very approach on him once, and although he had failed to counter _that_ attack, he knew what needed to be done now.

Taking a deep breath, he stopped move and instead took a firm step backwards, bending over as he did so. He felt Dosu's legs collide with his bent form and heard the guy's sharp yell as he went tumbling over, landing face first onto the floor.

Naruto straightened up, one hand reaching around to rub at the forming bruise on his backside. He grimaced. Maybe he still had a few kinks to work out of that counterattack.

The students stared in wonder as he calmly walked past Dosu, who was nursing his nose much like Zaku was. The girl, Kin, just stood back, staring in shock. Naruto looked over his shoulder at her and gave a cheeky grin, followed by a wave, before he continued to make his way to his classroom.

As he drew nearer, a boy started clapping. Soon two others joined him and then another, until eventually the entire hallway was clapping.

Naruto felt his face heat up at the applause, and reached up to rub at the back of his head in embarrassment. He couldn't stop the wide grin on his face though.

"That was so cool!" Someone called.

"I can't believe you stood up to those jerks so easily!" Another one said in awe.

Naruto laughed, letting his hands link behind his head. "Ah, it was nothing too big." He mumbled.

A girl with tight red curls bounced up to him, clasping her hands together. "It was so something! Those three are like, the biggest bullies in the school! Only three other people have ever stood up to them besides you and gotten away!" she exclaimed.

Naruto stepped back when the girl shoved her face up close to his, her brown eyes alight with wonder.

"Oh really? Who were they?" he asked, and let out a small yelp when the girl pressed closer, smiling widely. '_Seriously, does the term 'personal space' not mean anything to her?_' he wondered, once again shuffling backwards to get away.

If possible, the girl's smile grew even wider, and Naruto was reminded of a frog's wide mouth. He wisely kept that bit of information to himself, though.

"Well, the first guy who got away was this loud guy called Suigetsu! He got into a fight with them, and he was the one who walked away victorious." The girl said. Naruto nodded, wondering why this girl seemed to think she could only speak to him when she was a few inches away from his face.

"The second was a girl, actually. But she's really tough and stuff! Her name is Karin and she totally gave those guys a verbal beating before she walked off! It was so cool!"

Naruto rapidly discovered himself pressed against a wall, the girl bearing down on him. He started panicking, thinking that perhaps she was some psycho who smothered her victims to death. Glancing around, he could see the other students were thoroughly enjoying his misery, but there were a few sympathetic looks too.

"But the last guy, before you, was the total best! He completely owned them, it was so sweet! There was no way that they could've stood up to his awesome power!" At this, most of the guys around sighed dramatically.

"Geez, Romi, he's not a God or something. He just knew how to intimidate them." One guy said, exasperation clear in his voice. Another guy nodded.

"He's right. Romi, you need to stop exaggerating. That guy isn't an all powerful person. He's just a guy."

The girl, Romi, spun around and pointed an accusing finger at the gathered boys. "You fools are just jealous since he's way hotter and smarter than any of you!" she said loudly.

Naruto used the distraction to continue edging away when there was a commotion down the hall.

"...Just tell me what you were doing! You look like a friggen' zombie!"

"I said drop it."

"As much as I hate to say this, Suigetsu's right. You look exhausted. What happened over the weekend?"

"..."

Romi started clapping and bouncing. "It's him! He's coming!" she giggled. The guys groaned, and Naruto was left to wonder what was going on. He was sure he knew one of the voices, but it had sounded so tired and worn he couldn't quite put his finger on who it belonged to.

Slowly, the students moved out of the way and the chattering grew a bit more hushed as whoever was coming got closer.

Naruto was about to relax against the wall and wait to see who it was when Romi wrapped her arm around his neck and squeezing. He gasped, trying to pry her arm off, but she kept her grip firm.

"Here he comes! Are you prepared to see the Adonis of the school?.!" She whispered frantically. Had her arm not been wrapped so tightly around Naruto's windpipe, he may have managed to answer her.

However, it seemed she took his silent-choking as a 'Yes I'm prepared.' For she spun them around to look at the newcomers. "MEET THE GOD OF THE SCHOOL!" she hollered.

Naruto struggled to get in a breath and cracked open one eye as he tried to pull Romi's arm away. When he saw who was walking towards them, he stopped struggling briefly.

* * *

Sasuke was beyond exhausted as he arrived at the school, and it didn't help that Suigetsu found him within seconds and began prodding him for information. He must've said 'let it go' at least ten times by now, but Suigetsu was stubborn and kept at it.

To make matters even worse, Karin had caught up and she too decided to comment on his tired state.

"Sasuke-kun, why are you so tired?" she asked, and once more Sasuke brushed the question off.

After all, there was no answer he could really give them. There was no way in hell he would tell them the reason he was so tired was because he had spent the entire evening working with Itachi trying to get his damn eyes to activate.

They'd made little progress. Sasuke hadn't been able to fully activate his eyes for more than a second, and it always hurt beyond belief. Itachi had suggested that perhaps, since his eyes were still '_fresh_', that he need to be in the presence of a spirit to really be able to activate it.

'_Oh joy_.' Sasuke had thought, hating the exercise more and more. Not only were his head and eyes hurting like a razor-clawed bitch, but it seemed to drain his energy on top of that.

And so he was stuck, tired out of his head, with his two supposed 'friends' trailing along and bugging him about it.

"As much as I hate to say this, Suigetsu's right. You look exhausted. What happened over the weekend?" Karin asked, trying to be gentle.

Sasuke grit back an annoyed retort, reaching up to rub a hand over his face in exasperation. Just as he came up with a polite 'stop fucking questioning', another voice rang out.

"MEET THE GOD OF THE SCHOOL!"

His head snapped up, and he blinked at seeing one girl from his class grinning and pointing at him. But what truly drew his attention was the blond struggling in her arms.

"...Naruto?" he questioned, and soon the eyes of his boyfriend were staring at him. Naruto gave a feeble wave before indicating to his neck, where the girl had a strong grip.

"Hang on...Naruto?" the girl asked, tilting her head. "Is that your favourite food, Uchiha-kun?" she asked.

Sasuke stepped forward, his face blank. "No, it's the name of the boy you're currently strangling. I'd like him back, if you please." He said, motioning the blond.

With a gasp and a quick apology the girl, who he recognized as Fukusaku Romi, released Naruto. He stumbled away from her, taking exaggerated breaths of air.

"I..I thought I was gonna pass out!" he gasped, straightening up. Sasuke conjured up a smirk, reaching over to poke at Naruto's cheek.

"What's wrong, Uzumaki? Can't even take on a girl?" he teased. Naruto scowled, slapping his hand away.

"You shut up. Or would you like me to tell Kakashi about your apparent fan-base here?" Naruto countered, and snickered evilly when Sasuke paled. However, his snicker turned into a frown of concern when he finally noticed just how..._bad_ Sasuke looked.

The blond crossed his arms, surveying the raven carefully. Sasuke watched him, knowing what he was doing and hoping he wouldn't press the matter too much. Naruto looked directly at Sasuke, thinking carefully before he sighed once.

"Is the reason work related?" he asked sternly, looking right into the onyx eyes. Sasuke took a deep breath and let it out slowly, hunching slightly.

"...Yes." he answered.

Naruto nodded. "Okay then." He said, and left it at that. He walked over to the raven, pulling one of his arms up and around his shoulder. "Lean on me, teme, or you're going to be kissing the floor." He said.

Sasuke gratefully leant against the blond and closed his eyes. "I'm so tired."

"No shit Sherlock." Naruto said, chuckling when Sasuke elbowed him in the side softly.

"Shut up, Dobe."

"Make me, Teme."

The students around them were quiet, and the boys finally noticed it. The two looked up, Naruto with wide, innocent eyes and Sasuke with a narrow-eyed, tired glare.

"What?" they asked in unison.

Suigetsu thrust himself up in their faces. "How the hell did you get Sasuke to relax so easily?.!" He yelled. A hand shot out and pressed against his face, shoving him out the way before wide eyes and a wider mouth met their view.

"How come you act so familiar with each other?.!" Romi demanded, looking between them. "It's like you knew each other before now!" she stated.

"Uh...that's because we did." Naruto said slowly, backing away from the girl and pulling Sasuke with him.

Romi gaped, slapping her hands to her cheeks. "Seriously? You know Uchiha-kun outside of school?" she said, her eyes shining. "What's his address?"

Sasuke snapped his head to the blond. "If ANY girl asks for my address, you run as far and as fast as you can and you don't breathe a word!" he ordered harshly, gripping Naruto's chin until the blond nodded in agreement.

Just then, the bell rung shrilly, snapping most of the students out of their staring. Sasuke sighed and stood next to the blond, leaning against him slightly to rest. Naruto was beaming, once more looking forward to his first day at school.

And with Sasuke by his side, it just made it all the better.

* * *

Naruto stepped out of the school building and stretched his arms towards the sky. With a large grin, he whooped happily.

"First day at a real school: SUCCESS!" he cheered, pumping his fists into the air. There was a soft snort from behind him as Sasuke came down the steps slowly. He'd managed to regain some energy during the day, mainly thanks to Naruto being there for him to rest on. Although he would deny it to anyone who asked, he had fallen asleep during his Social Sciences class where Naruto was sitting next to him and he'd been able to lean on the blonds' shoulder.

Naruto grinned up at him happily. "So, teme, where do you have to go? Home?" he asked, reaching out his hand. Sasuke glanced around briefly before snatching the tan appendage and holding it tightly, leading the blond away from the school gates.

"Actually I have to go to the headquarters. I report in everyday after school for an hour unless we have a job, of course." He turned to look at Naruto and smiled slightly. "You can come too, if you'd like? You can catch up with the others." He said, using his most tempting voice.

Naruto's face brightened and he walked closer. "Sure! That sounds like fun. Let me just text my old man." He said, pulling out his phone and sending a quick message to Jiraiya.

They were just reaching the school gates when there was a shout from behind them.

"You two, wait a second!"

In a reflex, both boys pulled their hands away and kept them at their sides, turning to the interruption.

Sasuke groaned when he saw it was Romi. She was clutching two pieces of paper in her hand as she ran up to them.

"What it is?" he sighed irritably. She smiled widely, immune to his snappishness and instead thrust out the two papers.

"Here! It's this new game thing that's going around the school. Something like a... 'Say this chant, write your wish and then it comes true' sort of thing. I thought you guys would like to look at it. Half the students in the school have done it and I've heard rumours it really works!" she explained excitedly.

Sasuke took the paper warily, not interested in some stupid game. Naruto took the paper with enthusiasm, looking it over eagerly.

"It looks kind of fun!" he said. Sasuke shook his head, grabbing the blonds' collar and pulling him away.

"It sounds stupid." He mumbled. Naruto huffed, swatting at his arm.

"No it doesn't. Thanks a lot Romi!" he called and the girl nodded. Naruto blinked when her head suddenly snapped to the side, her eyes widening before she started waltzing to the right, her arms swaying in the air. "Um...okaaay." he turned away, slightly creeped out by the girls actions.

Once the two boys were well clear of the school, Sasuke reached out and gripped the blonds' hand tightly, raising it up to place a kiss on the knuckles. Naruto grinned at him and pulled him along, heading towards the Rei-Senzai headquarters as fast as he could.

When they arrived, Sasuke opened the door and stepped inside only to have his foot slide out from under him on something wet on the floor. He yelled out and Naruto rushed forward to catch him.

"Oh, be careful by the door. Kiba brought Akamaru with him and he peed there by accident." Kakashi's bored voice called.

Sasuke proceeded to curse while Naruto looked up.

"Who peed? Akamaru or Kiba?" he called out, and there was resounding laughter from the other room.

A red faced Kiba stomped around the corner. "Very funny Sas- Hey you brought Naruto!" he cut himself off, grinning. "Hi Naruto!"

Naruto smirked. "So Kiba...as I asked before, who peed?"

"Wait, that was you?"

"Yes."

"Then _shut up_ asshole!" Kiba yelled.

Naruto laughed while Sasuke pushed past Kiba and dragged the tan boy down the hall and into the other room. Kakashi looked up from his spot near the computer and his eye crinkled up in a smile.

"Hello Naruto. It's good to see you again." He greeted. Naruto waved happily, and the attention of the rest of the crew was drawn to him.

"NARUTO-KUN! WHAT A WONDERFULLY YOUTHFUL SURPRISE!"

For one terrifying moment, Naruto spun on the spot, his eyes wide and fearful as he shouted out "The hell is Gai-sensei doing here?.!" Before he caught sight of who had spoken.

"Sadly, Gai-sensei is not gracing us with his youthful presence today, but I shall be sure to let him know of your youthfulness!" Lee cried happily, stomping up and pulling Naruto into a bone crushing hug.

After Lee's enthusiastic greeting, most everyone settled down. Sasuke pulled Naruto over to the empty couch and sat down, resting his head on the blonds' lap and planning to catch up on some sleep. Naruto, being the good sport he was, relaxed and settled into conversation with Lee, Kiba and Deidara who quickly came to join their group.

Ino arrived at one point, and after an initial awkward greeting with Naruto, she offered to make coffee for everyone. When she passed a cup to Naruto, he smiled and said a thank you, to which she returned in kind.

The awkward air dissipated between them, and Ino joined their group to talk.

Kakashi announced after a moment that there were no real jobs for them yet, aside from a few emails from people claiming to see a ghost in the cemetery. They usually ignored those claims, since most were people being stupid and hysterical.

"Hey, Naruto. What's this thing?" Ino asked, looking at the paper she'd found when it fell from his bag. Naruto glanced over.

"Oh that thing? I'm not sure, some girl at the school gave it to me. It's supposedly this whole wish-making thing. You say something, write your wish and it's supposed to come true or something." He said, scooting over. Sasuke grumbled when he was jolted awake from the movement, but Naruto only petted his head and continued to talk with Ino.

The girl let out an awed sound and placed the paper on the table in front of the couch. "Why don't we do it?" she inquired, and Naruto shrugged and grinned.

"Yeah sure. I don't mind." He said and the two blondes' scooted closer to the table. Sasuke gave up on Naruto and let his head lie against the couch cushion instead. At least that cushion didn't move.

While Ino and Naruto read over the instructions, the front door opened once more.

"I'm telling you, you fuckwit! It wasn't my fucking fault!"

"You stole her walking stick and hit him over the head with it. It was entirely your fault."

"Fuck you, asshole! It _wasn't _my fault!"

Kakashi sighed and leant back in his chair, looking at the two men who just walked into the room arguing. "Hidan, there are young people in this room. Try censoring your mouth for once, would you?" he drawled.

Hidan gave him the finger and grinned down at the younger members. "These little shits should be able to choose whether to copy my curses or keep their speaking squeaky clean." He declared.

"Hey, he only swore once in an entire sentence." Kakuzu said, his voice monotone. "He's improving."

"Go _fuck_ a _fucking_ wrinkled cactus, _fucker_." Hidan retorted, much to the annoyance of his fellow crew members.

Kakuzu sent Kakashi a look clearly saying 'I give up' before he went to a desk and started sorting through files and accounting notes. Hidan surveyed the area, his eyes landing on Naruto.

"Hey, aren't you the Uchiha-Shrimp's boy toy?" he asked. Naruto glared, his face going red while Sasuke tiredly made a motion for Hidan to experience the wonders of anal sex with his own dick.

Hidan chuckled and sauntered over to the couch. With an evil grin, he sat down on top of Sasuke who grunted and squirmed underneath him. Hidan ignored the raven as if he were just a cushion and looked at the two blondes sitting beside him.

"So, what're you little brats up to?" he asked.

"Hidan, get off me!"

"We're just looking at this paper game thing that's been going around the school." Naruto replied.

"Oh, really?" Hidan asked, scratching his head. "Like one of those fucking chain letter bitches?"

"Something like that." Ino supplied.

"Get. The _fuck_. _Off_!"

"Geez, shrimp. All you had to do was ask." Hidan smirked, and made a show of slowly climbing off Sasuke, who tried to smother him with a cushion as soon as he was free.

"Ass." Sasuke hissed, rubbing his stomach where Hidan had pinned him down. The man only smirked and once again turned his gaze onto the two holding the paper. His eyes roamed over the writing before he frowned.

"Oi, wait a second. Let me see that paper." He said, holding out his hand. Ino handed it over, and Hidan quickly scanned the page, his eyes widening slightly before he looked up at the two.

"You say this is going around your school?" He asked, an edge to his voice. Naruto blinked and nodded slowly, confused.

"Uh yeah. More than half the school's students have done it already." He said, and jumped when Hidan stomped his foot loudly.

"Fuck!" the man cursed, running a hand through his hair. "This is fucking bad." He hissed.

The others looked over at him, Kakashi sliding from his chair.

"Hidan, what's wrong?" the man asked, eyes serious. Hidan held the paper up, pointing to the chant written there as well as the symbols around the edges.

"This is no fucking game. This is a real fucking ritual for an ancient occult practice. It's so fucking old hardly anyone knows about it anymore, but it's a serious thing. Devil worship to the fucking extreme even. And this chant here, and the symbols? They're part of a trade ritual." He explained.

Kakuzu stood up, walking to Hidan's side and glancing at the paper. "Trade ritual?"

Hidan nodded, letting him look at the paper while he continued to explain. "Yeah. What someone does is they write down a wish. But of course, the thing that makes the trade isn't going to do it for fucking free. It needs payment. And that payment is a sacrifice."

Kakashi groaned. "Okay, so it's on that level of bad. But it's not like the students are killing their friends and offering them up as sacrifices." He reasoned.

Hidan chuckled darkly. "If only it was that simple. This specific trade demon likes living prey. And you see here?" he grabbed the paper and pointed at a slot somewhere in the chant. "You write down the name of your enemy or friend here, depending on what your wish is. That little fucking slot is actually where you put the name of-"

"-The person you offer as sacrifice." Kakuzu finished, closing his eyes in understanding.

Hidan nodded, grimacing. "And with all those fucking students using this thing, there's plenty of names being written down. School enemies, rivals, even parents and siblings. Anyone the kid isn't feeling too happy with at the time is a potential victim."

Naruto stared in horror at the small piece of paper, before turning to look at Sasuke. His own horror was mirrored in the dark eyes.

"Sasuke...this is bad. This is so bad!" he hissed, and Sasuke nodded.

"Over half the school has used these things. And our school is really big on inter-school rivalry. There are whole classes that are rivals with each other, and bullies as well. People hold grudges against a lot of people, like the principal, the student council...even me." He finished.

At this Naruto shot out of his seat. "What?"

Sasuke sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Come on, Naruto. I'm a popular student, as much as I loathe it. Guys hold grudges, girls hold fantasies, and bullies despise me because they can't intimidate me. I'm pretty sure that my name has been written on those papers more than ten times." He finished quietly, looking at the floor.

There was a heavy silence in the room as everyone stared at Sasuke, the full weight of what was happening settling in like a freight train.

"...Hidan, how do we reverse this?" Kakashi demanded; his voice strong.

Hidan sighed, running a hand through his hair before looking directly at Sasuke. "You're fucking lucky that there's even a way to reverse this shit. But it's going to be fucking hard and we don't know how long we have. Every second from now on counts." He said before straightening up to his full height.

Kakashi felt glad at seeing Hidan going into serious work mode. Usually the man was a fool who whined and complained over everything. However, there were moments when he would take the lead and by God did he do it well. He may have been an idiot, but he was an expert on things like rituals and sacrifices. If anyone could reverse something like this, it would be him.

"Okay first thing we need to do. We have to get every single contract that has been used." He stated, pacing.

"Contract?" Naruto asked.

"The paper. It's the contract." Hidan supplied. "That's hopefully going to be reasonably easy. We need to go into the school tomorrow and somehow demand all the students to return the papers to us. After that I'm going to have to count how many contracts have been used and see how many sacrifices have already been registered into the demon's accounts."

"Hold on, what do you mean registered?" Ino asked, confused.

"In other words, how many wishes has the demon granted? Because those will be the sacrifices he goes for first and those will be the ones with less time to live." Hidan repeated, waving his hands about. Suddenly he stopped and gripped his hair. "Shit this is going to be tough. Kakuzu." He called, spinning around to face his partner. "We need several feet of rope soaked in holy water, as well as paper seals from a shrine and wooden replacement dolls. And we're also going to need salt, silver and a wooden crucifix. And candles. Lots of fucking candles."

Kakuzu nodded, making a list. "I'll get Sasori to handle the dolls. Deidara, you can handle the salt, silver and crucifix, right?" he asked.

Deidara nodded, already getting up to move. "I'll have it by the end of the day, un." He said, his voice deeper and more serious than the usual happy tune. There was no time for jokes now.

Lives were on the line.

Kakuzu began sorting through the rest while Hidan spoke to Kakashi about what needed to be done.

Through it all, Naruto was standing next to Sasuke, holding the raven's hand tightly.

"Teme...If I get my hands on the jerk who started this, I'm going to rip them apart." He said quietly, his voice so serious Sasuke found himself believing him.

"Don't worry dobe. I have no intention of letting something like this get me." He answered, squeezing the hand in his. Naruto glared at the paper now sitting on the desk.

"You won't win, you fucking demon." He hissed, and kicked the table over, sending the paper to the floor where it was crushed by the table that fell on it a moment later.

No one cared to say anything when Naruto pulled Sasuke closer and held him, glaring at the upturned table the whole while in defiance.

* * *

Fukusaku Romi bounced into her home, smiling her usual wide smile.

"I'm home!" she called out, and the faint voice of her father called back.

"Welcome home sweetie. There's food in the microwave if you're hungry."

Cheering, Romi skipped into the kitchen and looked through the microwave window. She grinned happily when she saw the chicken curry on a plate. It was her favourite. Switching the microwave on, she tapped her fingers on the counter, humming a random tune as she waited.

"_Romi..._"

"Huh?" She turned, looking around the kitchen, but it was empty save for herself.

Frowning, she poked her head into the hall. "Daddy, did you call me?" she asked loudly.

"No sweetheart."

"Oh...okay then." She mumbled, going back into the kitchen. She resumed her humming, swaying her hips a bit with the tune. Suddenly, the microwave light flickered, going on and off while the machine buzzed a bit. Raising an eyebrow, Romi leant down a bit, peering at the machine curiously.

In the reflection of the microwave door, she saw a tall figure with glowing red eyes staring at her. She opened her mouth in a gasp, her eyes widening at the reflection, but before she could utter more than a soft "Oh!", the microwave in front of her exploded.

Mr. Fukusaku fell out of his chair at the loud explosion he heard from the kitchen. Panicked, he stumbled out of his office, his tie almost getting caught on the door as he went. He skidded to a halt and took in the kitchen with horrified eyes. There was food everywhere, and the microwave was lying in shattered pieces. But what made his heart stop was the still figure of his daughter lying on the other side of the kitchen, covered in food and a thick red substance that made his breathing shorten in fear.

"ROMI!"

* * *

**BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA! *lightening flashes in background***

**Kao: Shame...poor Romi. She's barely even been alive. **

**Kam: Yeah, she's one of those 'Born purely for the moment' . It's a shame. She looked fun.**

**Me: Oi, guys I never said anything about her not appearing again.**

**Kao: But above you said...wait...YOU MEAN THIS CHAPTER IS A CLIFFIE?**

**Me: Yup! Muahahah!**

**Kam: Oh man...you're gonna have sooo many angry fans on your tail now. Especially if you take long to update the next chapter again.**

**Me: ..*pales* ..oh shit...I never thought of it... *gulps* Uh...review...and...uh...I'll...I'll try to update soon?**

**Kao: 3...2...1...0**

**Me: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! *runs away from angry fans***

**LE GASP! Sasuke's life is in danger! ALL the students lives are in danger! And now the crew has to face an age old demon to save them? WITHOUT GETTING PAID? What will happen next? And what will Itachi do when he finds out about Sasuke's new predicament? CAN ANYONE SAY 'WRATH OF THE DEVIL?'**

**Find out next time on RS-2: Possesion!  
**


	10. Gamble For Your Life

**Heya everyone! Well, I since I left the last chapter with a cliffie, I worked hard to finish this one as quick as I could so that I didn't leave you guys hanging... So HERE WE GO! 8D**

**Warnings: ya know, swearing on occasion, supernatural shit, fluffy boy love maybe... yeah.**

**Disclaimer: I do not owns!**

**P.S- this is like a really belated p.s note. -_-Uu but uh, sorry for any typos and such in my chapters. All my stuff is un-beta'd...so, sorry for the mistakes. I'M TRYIN'! I'M TRYIN' TO KEEP EM LOW! *sobs***

**Kao: GET ON WITH IT ALREADY! I WANT TO SEE UCHIHA SUFFER!**

**

* * *

Gamble For Your Life**

Itachi groaned and rolled over at the sound of his cell phone ringing. Glancing at the clock, he noted it was going on six in the evening. He frowned. Sasuke should've been home by now, yet he hadn't woken up. He always woke up when Sasuke came home. It was like a natural alarm was set in his body.

Suddenly, he felt anxious towards the phone call, and slid across his bed to pick it up. He snapped it open and put the phone to his ear.

"Hello?" he asked, and sighed when he heard Kakashi's voice on the other end. "No Kakashi, I told you I was taking the day off...what?" he paused, his eyes widening as Kakashi went on. "...A demon? At the school?...Okay, but why are we...What?.!" Itachi shot off the bed, his eyes growing even wider as he listened.

His little brother was in danger. Someone, in fact many people, had gambled Sasuke's life in order to gain some stupid wish of theirs.

Itachi felt homicidal.

"I'm on my way over right now!" Itachi called and snapped the phone shut, already reaching for jeans and a jacket. Without focusing, he pulled them on, uncaring of the colour or even if they were inside out. There were way more important things than fashion.

He practically sprinted out the front door, speeding down the sidewalks as he headed to the headquarters. The sky was darkening quickly, and what looked like rainclouds were gathering. As he turned a corner, an ambulance sped past, its sirens wailing as it headed for the hospital. He didn't even stop to think of it, only hurrying on towards the headquarters.

He slammed through the door, panting. "Sasuke!" he called, stomping down the hallway.

"I'm here." Sasuke called back and Itachi turned the corner. The room was in a flurry of movement. Kakashi and Shikamaru were sitting at the computers, websites and pages flickering in front of them at high speed as they searched for something. Lee was sitting with Sasori and Deidara in a corner, surrounded by small wooden dolls and small seals of paper. They were attaching the seals to the dolls, commenting every now and then and talking in hushed tones as they worked diligently.

Ino and Tenten, who was replacing Sakura's position while she was gone, were running around, fetching papers, stationary, answering calls and assisting however they could.

In the middle of the room, Hidan was talking to Kakuzu, Sasuke and Naruto. The two teens were side by side, hands clasped tightly between them as they listened intently to what Hidan was saying.

Itachi stormed up to them. "What the hell is going on now?" he snapped, one hand reaching out to grip Sasuke's shoulder tightly.

Hidan groaned. "We've got a demon on our case now. Kakashi and Shikamaru are looking up all the lore they can on the religion this thing follows, since I don't know if there's anything I'm missing. Right now though, I'm just clarifying with the shrimp if he's seen any signs of the demon at school."

If Itachi was not so high strung over his brother's safety, he may have applauded Hidan for not swearing once during his speech. As it was, he sent a look to his brother.

"Sasuke, have you seen any signs? Anything at all?" he asked.

Sasuke shook his head. "I haven't seen anything strange, but then again I don't know all the signs to look for when it comes to demons, so there is a possibility that I missed something." He said. Itachi's grip tightened, his head swirling with suppressed panic.

"Hey!" Itachi started when there was a hand on his shoulder, and he looked over to see Hidan staring right at him. "Don't worry so much, asswipe. I'm not letting the Shrimp or any other of those shitty kids die." The man said sternly. Itachi let out a sigh, closing his eyes and trying to calm the growing storm of worry in his chest.

"...My brother gets hurt, and I'll show you a wrath greater than Jashin." He said slowly, and his voice clearly showed that he would make ten times good upon his threat. Hidan didn't even retort with how no one could beat Jashin, only slapping Itachi on the shoulder before turning back to the boys.

Itachi grasped Sasuke's shoulder and leant down briefly while Kakuzu spoke to Hidan.

"Sasuke...I know we've only just started the testing and it's still new to you..." he murmured, and Sasuke stiffened, glancing at him. "...But if something starts happening, you don't hold back. You use your eyes as much as you can to stop it. Do you hear me?"

Sasuke bit his lip, feeling Naruto's curious gaze. "...I understand, but I won't use it unless it's absolutely necessary." He confirmed.

Itachi gave his shoulder a bone crushing squeeze before nodding curtly and standing up. He glided over to Kakashi.

"What can I do to help?"

* * *

Naruto stared blankly at his dinner plate, his blue eyes unseeing. Jiraiya frowned at him, slowly lowering his fork.

"Hey brat, what's up?" he asked, concern tinting his voice. The blond had come back only a few minutes ago after getting a bus ride home, and he'd been silent and contemplative ever since. It was unlike him and Jiraiya was growing more and more worried. "First day at school not that great?"

Naruto looked up at the mention of school, and something in his eyes made Jiraiya suppress a flinch.

'_He looks ready to attack someone._' He thought and hoped that it wouldn't be him.

"School was great. I loved it." Naruto said blankly, his fists clenching on the table. "...Well, right up until I discovered that the students had ended up summoning some fucked up demon that's going to try and kill half the student population, including my _boyfriend_, and who knows how many victims outside of the school." He finished, growling.

Jiraiya blinked, running the words over in his head before he took a breath.

"...I'm sorry, _what_? A demon in the school?" he asked, his eyes widening when Naruto nodded.

"Yeah. There's this paper thing going around the school that the students have been using, thinking it's a game. But it's actually a contract for a ritual or something and a demon grants wishes in exchange for a sacrifice. The students write down the name of their enemies, without realizing what they're doing and that person becomes the sacrifice. And Sasuke is sure that his name has been written more than once." Naruto explained, growing more and more restless until he jumped off his chair and paced. "And now we have to get all the paper contracts back before too soon and then Hidan is going to reverse it all and save everyone, but we have to hurry and-"

"Whoa hold on! What do you mean 'we'?" Jiraiya demanded, standing up suddenly. "You're crazy if you think I'm letting you get involved in this demon business. It's dangerous." He said. "You're going to stay home until this stuff is resolved."

Naruto spun around. "I can't! Ji-Dad, Sasuke's name was written! Sasuke's _life_ is in danger! I can't just hideaway while he's out there fighting for his life!" he exclaimed, waving his arms around. "I'm going to help them gather all the papers and reverse this shit!" he stated firmly.

Jiraya opened his mouth to argue, but caught himself and snapped it shut. He rubbed the bridge of his nose in aggravation, huffing out a breath.

"So let me get this straight. There's this demon paper going around the school. Sasuke said his name has been written, and his life is now in danger. The entire crew he works for is working to reverse it. And you, the boy who's greatest fear is the supernatural, are willing to throw yourself into the middle of it to help?" he asked, looking up.

Naruto clenched his fists, turning around and heading for his room.

"You're wrong dad." He said, pausing at the door. "It's true the supernatural scares the shit out of me...but my greatest fear, above even ghosts, is losing a loved one." He turned to send a sad look over to Jiraiya. "And I love Sasuke." He concluded before leaving for his room.

Jiraiya watched his retreating back, groaning. However, once Naruto was out of sight, he let a small smile slip onto his face.

"...I know you do kid. And I'm proud of you for not giving up." He mumbled.

* * *

Sasuke stood outside the school's main gates, staring up distastefully at the building. Beside him, Itachi, Hidan and Kakashi were standing with their arms crossed. Kakuzu was getting some things out of the car.

"Okay Sasuke, go to class like usual. Once we've gotten the headmaster's permission, we'll come and get you, Sakura and Naruto. Then we'll all spread out and collect those papers. Understood?" Kakashi said. Sasuke nodded in understanding, narrowing his eyes at the students heading for the gates.

There was a chance one or two of the students he was looking at had written his name and, possibly, ended his life.

'_Assholes._' He thought irritably. He was struggling to keep himself calm whenever he thought about the fact that there was a demon chasing his tail. So far, he'd managed to save face around the others, but inside he was fretting and panicking. What if they didn't find them all in time? What if the demon appeared today and claimed him? What if...what if Naruto got caught in the crossfire?

As if summoned by his thoughts, Naruto came jogging around the corner. Running behind him was Sakura, obviously having used the same bus.

"Sasuke! Are you okay? Seen anything strange?" Naruto demanded as he caught up with them, grabbing Sasuke's shoulders and inspecting him. Sasuke smirked at the blond, inwardly touched by how concerned he was.

"Dobe, I'm fine." He replied, prying the blonds' hands off his shoulders and placing a light kiss on his knuckles. Naruto frowned, but let it go, not pressuring him. Sakura came up behind them, offering a small bow to the others.

"Good morning, Sasuke-kun." She said. Sasuke nodded in response, and Sakura bit her lip standing a bit off to the side.

"Okay, we're all here. It's time to go. Remember, keep your eyes peeled, and if you see any of those papers, get them as fast as you can. There's no harm in starting the collection early." Kakashi ordered.

Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura nodded, already moving ahead to go into the school. Kakashi and the others held back for a moment, waiting for Kakuzu before they too made for the doors.

Sasuke walked in the middle, with Naruto on his right and Sakura on his left.

"So how are we going to convince the students to give us the papers? I doubt they'll believe the truth." Naruto asked, tilting his head to look at the other two.

"Hn. I'll have no problems. If it's a girl, they'll give it to me without hesitation, and I can just intimidate the guys." Sasuke said.

Naruto snorted. "You're so confident. I can almost see your ego expanding." He sneered.

Sakura giggled slightly next to them while Sasuke frowned. She looked up, steeling her features into a serious face. "We can always try to convince them to give them to us. Tell them it's a fake, or make up some crack story about what it really is that will make them not want to do it. If worst comes to worse, buy it off of them." She suggested.

Naruto and Sasuke nodded in agreement. "And if that fails, well..." Naruto grinned. "I'll just do it the K-way!" he nodded to himself.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "The K-way?" he inquired.

Naruto nodded. "Back in the orphanage, Kao would do anything to get something, especially if Kamurou asked for that something. He even resorted to violence if need be. He ended up beating up an older kid to get the basket ball." He explained, grinning at the memory.

Sasuke and Sakura shared a look before shaking their heads.

"Dobe."

"What? It works!" Naruto said defensively. Sasuke smirked, brushing his hand over the blonds' as they walked into the school.

Once they entered, they stopped and looked around, eyeing all the students. Their mission had begun.

"Alright. Remember to keep your eyes out for any demon activity too." Sasuke muttered under his breath, and the other two nodded in agreement before they straightened up. "Let's go."

* * *

The sterile smell of the hospital made her nose twitch, and she blinked her eyes open, taking in the hospital room she was occupying. Her normally bouncy red hair was lying limp around her face, a reasonably large section in the front shaved off to make way for stitches and a bandage. If it had been any other girl, she may have mourned the loss of that hair and how ugly she undoubtedly looked.

But Romi could care less about her appearance right now. She blinked wide eyes as she looked all around her, wondering how long she'd been unconscious. Shifting, she tried to sit up and hissed when her face stung from moving her lips and eyebrows.

'_Wait...do I even have eyebrows anymore?_' she wondered, slowly reaching up a hand. When she touched her face she gasped. Her entire face was wrapped in a gauze bandage but for the area around her eyes and mouth. She felt a few tears well up when she realized just how bad the burn marks must be.

'_That's going to become difficult to deal with. I get teased enough as it is, I don't need people mocking some burn marks._' She thought sadly, running her fingers lightly over the gauze padding.

Sighing, she pushed the blankets back to get a good look at the rest of her. Aside from a few bandages on her arms and a stitch near her shoulder, her upper body was fine with a few bruises.

'_I guess my face took the brunt of the explosion._' She mused, once again running her fingers over the gauze. Carefully, she slid off the bed, glad that they hadn't hooked her up to anything. The doctors must've known she wasn't in life threatening danger. She stood, taking a deep breath and grimacing at the sterile smell. She made her way to the door and slid it open, peeking out. The hospital was rather empty. Glancing back at the window she saw that it was still quite early. Obviously the staff was just beginning rounds or something.

Not wanting to be stuck in a room with nothing to do, she decided to explore a bit. If she found a doctor, she'd definitely ask about her face and how long she'd be there.

The hallway floor was slightly chilled on her feet, but she didn't mind. It kept her alert. She hummed a random tune as she walked; her hands clasped behind her back and her steps a bit bouncy. Even through the gauze, she smiled. Her optimistic personality wouldn't let her mope around for too long.

The hallway lights overhead flickered, briefly sending the hallway into a dim light with creeping shadows.

Romi paused mid step when the lights continued to flicker. She watched as the shadows in the hall grew longer and shorter rapidly from the light flickering, her smile fading to be replaced with a hesitant frown.

Her eyes focused in on one particular shadow, which didn't seem to be changing shape even as the lights flicked on and off.

"_Romi..._"

Hey eyes grew wider and she took three steps back, her body beginning to tremble. The shadow she'd been watching before began to move towards her, so very slowly. Her mouth opened in a silent gasp.

There was no figure to cast the shadow, and yet she could see each footstep it made. She could vaguely hear the sound of something clicking on the tile floor.

It sounded like claws.

"W-What..." she stammered, backing away as the shadow got closer. It didn't falter, and Romi felt her heart thrashing frantically in her ribcage, as if urging her to run as fast as she could.

She backed away again, faster and faster as the shadow got closer and closer.

When it was less than five feet away, she spun on the spot and ran as fast as she could back down the hall, her breath coming out in short, panicked gasps.

'_What the hell? What the hell?.! What is that thing?_' she thought frantically, looking over her shoulder. She whimpered when she saw the shadow growing, looming closer and catching up to her at a rapid pace.

"N-No! No l-leave me alone!" she snapped, fear causing her voice to tremble.

The door to her room came into view, and she ducked into it, spinning around and closing the door as fast as she could.

Right before it reached the edge, there was a loud screeching, and Romi barely withheld a scream when she saw the metal of the door edge bend as if claws had forced their way through a second before the door snapped shut. Panting, she held the door closed, leaning against it. Her eyes were focused on the scratch marks on the door's edge.

"...Okay...Now I'm fucking scared." She hissed.

* * *

Sasuke stalked down the halls, his eyes darting from each student to the next. Sakura, Naruto and him had split up to quickly do a run through of the school halls before class. If they saw any of the contracts, they were to make sure they got them no matter what they had to do.

Sasuke continued walking, eyes roving when he spotted a group of girls leaning against the wall. One of the girls was giggling and writing on a piece of paper... '_Shit!_'

"Hey! You girls!" he called out, jogging over to them. The girls jumped, startled. Most of them blushed when they saw him, shifting around and looking at him shyly.

"H-Hello Sasuke-kun. What did you need us for?" the girl holding the paper asked. Sasuke pointed to the contract.

"May I please have that. And any others that you happen to have with you, used or otherwise." He said.

The girls looked at each other before turning back to him. "Uh...why do you want them, especially if they used?"

Sasuke grit his teeth. "They're...not games. It's actually all a trick to get people to reveal secrets and then humiliated. I'm collecting them all to put a stop to that." He said quickly, hoping they would fall for his excuse.

He almost smirked when the girls gave awed sounds and quickly shuffled in their bags, withdrawing their contracts.

"Oh Sasuke-kun, thank you! You're a hero!" one of the girls sighed, handing her paper over swiftly.

Sasuke nodded, his eyes briefly glancing at the paper. He stiffened when he saw his name written in the slot, and withheld the urge to kick the girl in the mouth.

'_Culprit number one._' He thought bitterly. Once he'd collected the papers, he folded them up and slipped them into his bag, nodding his thanks to the girls and continuing.

'_I'm pretty sure most of the contracts with my name belong to girls...And some people wonder why I'm gay._' He thought, eyes darting around for more of the devil paper.

* * *

Sakura briskly walked through the halls, looking every which way. She'd found a quick way to get any papers she came across. A boy was standing outside a door, holding a contract while he read it over. Sakura stalked up to him, snatching the paper out of his hand. He let out a surprised yell when she glared at him.

"What the he-"

"I'm confiscating this. It's against school rules. Be glad I'm not reporting you to the principal." She snapped, folding the paper and adding it to the collection in her bag. The boy gulped and nodded, letting her walk away.

She smirked to herself.

At this rate, they would be able to get all of the contracts easily.

* * *

Naruto groaned for the tenth time, and glared at the three girls in front of him.

"Come on, ladies! I need those papers!" he insisted. The girls frowned, clutching the papers even closer.

"No way! You're probably just going to tell all your guy buddies about our wishes and humiliate us." The one girl snapped.

Naruto resisted the urge to growl at them. "I promise you that's not the case. But I need those papers for an important reason!"

"What reason?" the other asked, frowning in disbelief.

Naruto fished around in his head, trying to come up with something. He got an idea and hoped to every entity out there they would fall for it.

"Because Uchiha Sasuke is the one who makes those wishes come true, so I'm helping him collect them."

It was like a switch was pressed for soon Naruto found himself surrounded by girls, and not just the three he had been talking to.

"Here! Take mine!"

"Make sure Sasuke-kun gets mine first!"

"No way, _mine_ first!"

"Can he please sign mine!.?"

"Can he _cum_ on mine!.?"

Naruto decided he'd rather face an ancient demon that collected souls than ever face off against a horde of Sasuke-fangirls. His hands were filled with contracts and he quickly folded them up and shoved them into his bag, making bogus assurances that Sasuke would get them and trying not to think of how many angry fans would be after him when they found out they'd been duped.

'_Seriously, I thought the kids at the orphanage were crazy. These girls are just psycho!_' he thought, once more searching the halls. A lot of the guys he'd come across had willingly given up their contracts, either because they hadn't used them and had no interest, or because they had used them and didn't see the need to keep them. Naruto felt his stomach clench tighter and tighter every time he saw someone's name written in the sacrifice slot.

All those people had no idea what was chasing after them now.

He had to try very hard not to kill the people who handed him papers with Sasuke's name written down.

* * *

Sasuke stood in the line, the bell having just rung to signal class beginning. He tapped his foot impatiently and kept his arms crossed.

A hand on his shoulder broke him out of his waiting, and he turned to see Naruto staring at him in concern.

"Teme, are you okay? Have you seen-"

"No, so far nothing. Did you have any luck?" Sasuke cut him off, looking at Naruto's slightly bulging bag.

Naruto sighed, zipping it open to show a large amount of folded papers.

"All I had to do was mention your name and they were forcing them on me. Not that I care, it just makes it easier." He said, zipping it up. Sasuke nodded, showing his own collection.

"Same with me. I got a whole bunch, from guys and girls."

Naruto nodded, feeling more optimistic. "I'm sure Sakura would've gotten a lot too. I have the feeling she'd manage to intimidate people." He said.

Sasuke nodded in agreement, unable to speak because the teacher had arrived.

"Okay maggots, get in class." Anko said, pushing the door open. The students filed in slowly.

As Sasuke stepped through the doorway, the lights flickered.

Sasuke and Naruto froze, their eyes widening in horror as the lights flickered on and off.

"Oh geez. Of all the times to have a faulty light." Anko groaned, pushing past them and flicking the switch on and off, trying to get the lights to work.

Sasuke looked over his shoulder at the blond, and worried blue eyes met him.

"...Sasuke..." Naruto breathed, fear evident in his tone. Sasuke shushed him.

"It's fine. I haven't seen anything. It's probably just a faulty light." He whispered, trying to reassure himself as much as the blond.

Naruto opened his mouth to retort, but the lights stopped flickering and Anko once again ushered them inside.

Naruto went to his seat, on the right side of Sasuke, two seats away. Sasuke sat down slowly, glancing around. He wouldn't deny that he was extremely nervous now. Flickering lights was one sign of demonic presence, according to Hidan. Another would be hearing his name whispered even though no one else would. And the third would be seeing shadows or figures in reflections that no one else could see. There were a few others, but those three were the most tell-tale signs.

Anko launched into her lesson, much like usual, but Naruto couldn't concentrate. He kept his eyes focused on the area around Sasuke, searching for anything out of the ordinary.

"Uzumaki!"

Naruto jumped when a piece of chalk smacked the wall next to his head, and he turned his eyes to Anko, who was seething.

"Kindly stop your ogling and pay attention to what I'm teaching!" she snapped, and Naruto nodded, mumbling a soft 'Sorry Sensei'.

He kept his face forwards, but his eyes continued to dart to Sasuke.

The raven, for his part, kept still, eyes focused forward. He was trying to will himself to relax, telling himself that the lights had flickered due to Anko's constant abuse to them over the term.

"_Sasuke..._"

His eyes widened, and he sent Naruto a glance. The blond caught his eyes, and the blue orbs widened tremendously, looking panicked. Sasuke half wished Naruto was oblivious to what was happening. He hated seeing that look of fear on the blonds' face.

"_Sasuke..._"

"Mitarashi-Sensei!" Naruto shoved his hand in the air, waving it frantically. Anko growled and spun around.

"Yes, Uzumaki? What is it?" she asked irritably.

"I, uh..." Naruto fumbled for words. Sasuke blinked, wondering what he was doing.

"_Sasuke..._"

"I HAVE DIARRHOEA!" Naruto yelled, his voice more frantic. The class stared at him, some students giggling in amusement while others sneered in disgust. Anko rubbed her face, annoyed.

"Okay, you're excused."

"I don't know where the bathroom is!" Naruto said quickly, sending a meaningful glance at Sasuke.

"It's just down-"

"I can take him, Anko-sensei." Sasuke interrupted quickly.

Anko let out a frustrated growl. "Alright, whatever. Just stop interrupting! I have a lesson to teach." She snapped.

Naruto rushed out the room, Sasuke quick on his tail.

"Teme, I heard some creepy ass voice whispering your name back there!" Naruto said as soon as they were away from the class. Sasuke paused, looking at the blond in surprise.

"You heard it too? I thought only the victim was supposed to hear it." He said. Naruto shrugged, his eyes darting around.

"Well maybe it's different with this demon or something. But I know that none of the kids were calling..." Naruto's voice died in his throat as the light flickered again. He was looking back at Sasuke, but his eyes landed on something behind the raven.

Sasuke saw the look of horror on Naruto's face, and felt his own heart race in fear. Sweat trickled down his forehead. The lights kept flickering before they gleamed extremely bright. The boys ducked their heads, eyes burning from the sudden flash.

Through their pained groans, they heard it. A horrible cry, similar to that of a small dinosaur in the old Jurassic Park movies, but with a resounding echo to it. They heard the clicking of claws on tile.

Sasuke knew they had to move. If they stayed put, not only would he most likely die, but Naruto might get injured too. The lights were still gleaming pure white, blinding him. Naruto was clenching his eyes shut, trying to block out the lights. Sasuke peeked through his lashes, barely seeing anything but the blonds' vague outline.

His eyes stung, even from that small opening and he shut them tight, his hand reaching out to try and grab the blonds'.

Naruto suppressed a cry as his eyes burned from the harsh light. He had heard the cry, could sense the thing getting closer. Fear was gripping his chest like a vice, but his heart and soul was demanding he move.

'_Move! You have to move! Get Sasuke out of here! Protect Sasuke NOW!_' his head screamed.

He grit his teeth and opened his eyes, feeling them burn and water profusely. He held them open, seeing Sasuke's outline. But what made his breath catch was the tall, pitch black figure right behind Sasuke, red eyes shining through the white light.

"NO!"

His body seemed to move on its own, his arms reaching out to grab Sasuke and yank him away from the dark figure and drag him away down the hall. He squinted his eyes to block out as much light as he could while still keeping a firm hold on Sasuke's arm.

Sasuke felt Naruto pulling him away, heard his panicked shout. As he was dragged away by his boyfriend, he turned his head to look over his shoulder and saw the dark figure chasing them.

His eyes felt as if they were on fire before they snapped wide open, his irises spinning red with three black markings.

From his view it was as if a vortex opened, sucking in the light, the demon and eventually him before everything went white before his eyes and the feel of Naruto's hand faded.

* * *

Sasuke blinked rapidly, trying to clear the whiteness and find Naruto. He knew he'd activated his Sharingan, but he wasn't sure what that meant. Did he somehow push the demon away? Were they safe?

"_Okay, now I'm fucking scared!_"

Sasuke blinked and the whiteness was gone. He was once again looking down into another room, but unlike last time, he wasn't floating. And the vision before him was blurred and kept flashing and crackling, like an old tape that was damaged.

He could still faintly feel himself moving, and guessed his body was still running. As if he were on auto pilot or something.

He started looking around, deciding that if he was having a vision about the demon, he would hopefully see something useful. Focusing, he realized he was seeing a hospital room. And a girl was standing by the door, her face covered in bandages and her red hair hanging limply around her face. Sasuke blinked rapidly, wondering why she seemed familiar.

Suddenly the door to the room started banging loudly, as if something was trying to get in. The girl screamed and threw herself against the door, pushing it back and stopping it from opening.

"_Fuck! What the fuck is going on?.!_" She cried, shrieking when the door was forced open for a second before she managed to slam it shut again.

Sasuke jolted. He recognized the voice.

"..Ru...Ray...Ro-Romi! That's it, Romi!" he called out, remembering her name. He remembered his last vision with the twin girls Kakome and Kagome, and felt annoyed that she wouldn't hear him. But he had to try.

"Romi, please if you can hear me, just hang on! Don't let that thing get you! Keep running, find other people if you can! It is less likely to attack you when there are a lot of people around! Just hang in there! We're going to fix this, I promise!" he yelled.

Romi seemed to think, her eyes darting around the room nervously.

"_I-Is someone there? Please, someone help me!_" she called out. Sasuke opened his mouth to call out again, hoping perhaps she could hear him this time when the door to the room flew open. Romi screamed as she was knocked backwards.

Sasuke couldn't stop the loud shout of horror that escaped him when he saw the demon swooping through the door.

"ROMI RUN!"

Whether she had heard him, or whether her own fear and adrenaline forced her into action, Romi had already scrambled to her feet and ducked under the demon, sprinting through the door and away.

Sasuke expected the demon to chase after her, but instead it rounded and faced him. He swallowed nervously, and backed up. The images were still flashing and it only freaked him out all the more.

"_By midnight tonight, your souls will be mine._"

* * *

Sasuke let out a loud gasp as he was snapped back to reality in the form of falling down the steps at the front doors of the school. He heard Naruto's cry of pain and knew the blond had fallen to.

Luckily there were only a couple of steps, so the fall was pretty light, but it was enough to jolt Sasuke out of his vision.

He landed on his back, grunting at the harsh impact, and found himself looking up at the bright sky. It was so controversial to the situation he was in, he almost laughed.

Beside him, Naruto landed on his face, groaning. However, soon his head whipped around, his forehead and nose red from the hit he took, and he looked over his shoulder at the school doors.

"Did we lose it?" he asked breathlessly, his eyes scanning the area.

Sasuke did the same, eyes darting left and right, the red irises slowly receding back into the usual onyx. Finally, he sighed and let his head thump back down while he panted for breath.

"Yeah...Yeah we did." He sighed. "...For now anyway." He added darkly.

Naruto huffed and let his head fall back to the ground, his chest heaving. After a moment, he turned his head to look at Sasuke, eyes tired, red and wet from being burned from the bright light inside. "Sasuke what the hell happened to you back there?" he asked.

Sasuke blinked and turned his own head to look at him. "Huh?"

"You were running but it was like you were somewhere else entirely. But then when we got to the first floor you started...well...laughing." Naruto explained, frowning.

Sasuke stared at him. "...Laughing?"

Naruto nodded, his cheek scraping against the ground. "Yeah...well, more like snickering. And it was all hissy and breathy. Kind of like a snake's hiss instead of a laugh." He said thoughtfully.

As soon as the words left his mouth, Sasuke felt a burning pain spike in his shoulder before it spread outwards. He cried out in pain, writhing on the floor and clutching at his shoulder. Beside him Naruto shot up in panic.

"Sasuke! What's wrong!.?" He asked, his voice cracking slightly in fear. Sasuke panted, pressing down hard on the mark on his shoulder. His body shook and he felt bile rising up in his throat, but did his best to suppress it. Inside his head, the frantic hisses of snakes was deafening, drowning out any other sound. His eyes screwed shut in pain as another wave convulsed through his body like molten lava. Through the darkness of his eyelids, he saw flashes of something white. It flickered so fast it was almost like a damaged movie, and nothing was clear.

And then he saw a pair of fierce, pale yellow eyes with black pupils like slits.

"SASUKE!"

The noise, the pain...everything came to a sudden stop as Naruto pulled him to his chest, clutching him close and rocking him slightly. His face was pressed into the blonds' chest and Naruto had his arms wrapped around his shoulders and head, one hand tangling in his hair. He could feel Naruto's lips moving against the top of his head, muttering nonsense in a desperate attempt to help.

Sasuke's chest was heaving as the last remnants of the burning pain receded slowly, going back to the mark on his shoulder before dying down to an empty throb. He felt so tired after it all, and being in Naruto's warm hold wasn't helping him stay awake.

Weakly, he reached up to pat the blonds' cheek.

"Sasuke? Are you okay?" Naruto asked, his voice shaking. Sasuke breathed heavily, his eyes drooping closed.

"...M'fine now...Naru..." he trailed off, sleep claiming him. Right before he shut off completely, he heard his brother's worried voice shouting out to him, and Naruto's voice replying equally.

* * *

**Oooo...Sasuke just has to deal with so much shit in this story don't he? *smirk***

**Kao: I feel sorry for Naruto. He has to sit back and watch the suffering and he doesn't know how to help. That must be _killing _him.**

**Kam: I agree. I feel more sorry for Naruto.**

**Me: *snickers* No Sympathy for the Uchiha then?**

**Kao/Kam: _Nope_.**

**Sasuke: And you wonder why I'm an emo bastard most of the time. Che'.  
**


	11. The Deal is Off

**Hellooooo my pretties!**

**Kao: What'd you call me?**

**Me: shut up. Anyway, here is the next chapter and...well...dear I say it's quite the intense one... Well I hope that's the feeling you get! I wrote out this entire chapter...well almost, not the beginning, but I wrote out most of it while listening to, on YouTube, Why So Serious Remix...literally, you type that into YouTube, it's the very first vid... So yeah, that was the music playing during the, ah... *grins* Intense scenes.**

**Kao: Intense as in... YAOI intense?**

**Me: -_- No. There isn't much boy lovin in this chapter...and on that note I'd like to remind everyone that while, yes, this is a SasuNaru story, and yes, they are in love and so forth...this is a Supernatural/Horror fic, so I'm focusing more on the scaryness and ghostliness and demony-ness that on the yaoiness...there is still loving and kissing, but yeah that's not the main focus.**

**Anyway!**

**Warnings: Some language, duh, Hidan's still here. Demons. Death (CALM DOWN EVERYONE! TRUST ME JUST READ AND YOU WILL UNDERSTAND!) **

**Disclaimer: Me not owneth!**

**P.S- I'd just like to quickly clarify that all the rituals, and supernatural references as well as methods and so forth...are NOT real. While I do base some of the things they do on what I've read in stories, documentaries or maybe seen in movies and such, nothing is thoroughly researched and written to fact. I wing these things because while I'm not exactly a complete ghost fanatic, I do believe it is a BAD IDEA to fool around with paranormal shit, because you have NO IDEA what could happen. So any chants, rituals, designs or things like that are just from my random imagination put together with little hints and such from the media. This applies to each and every chapter of this story, it's predecessor, and any side-fics I shall write.**

**P.P.S- I'm writing out several side-fics for the Rei-Senzai X-Files, but I still might not post them for a while...**

**Enough Stalling, on with the chapter! (Sorry for spelling and mistakes)  
**

**

* * *

The Deal is Off**

_Once more he found himself in a dank tunnel area, water flooding the floor and dripping from the ceiling, and the lighting was eerie and green._

_Sasuke groaned and sat up, noting that even though he was sitting in a deep puddle of water coming up to his chest, that he didn't feel wet at all._

"_Great..." he growled and pushed himself up. "Another screwed up nightmare."_

_He started to walk, wondering what he would find in this dream. _

"_What makes you so sure it's a dream?"_

_Sasuke spun around at the new voice. It was raspy and dry, like dead leaves fluttering over tarmac, and it sent cold shivers down his spine. A few feet away he saw a shadowy figure leaning against a wall, arms crossed. He couldn't make out their face, but they were wearing an olden style white Yukata, and what looked like a purple rope around their waste._

"_Who the hell are you?" he asked, feeling very wary._

_The figure let out a deep, rumbling laugh before stepping away from the wall. "I'm hurt, Sasuke-kun." He said as the eerie light washed over his face, yellow eyes gleaming._

_Sasuke stumbled back, his breath freezing in his throat. "..I...Impossible!" He gasped, his back hitting the wall. "You're dead. You're gone! Kakashi destroyed you!"_

_The man snickered again, a long pink tongue poking out and licking around his mouth. "You think it's that easy to destroy me? Foolish little child." The man tilted his head mockingly. "Now then...at least tell me you remember my name?"_

_Sasuke swallowed. "...Orochimaru..."_

_Orochimaru laughed wickedly, clapping his hands. "Very good." The tongue was back, licking around the white and dead lips._

_Sasuke edged along the wall with every intention of running. He didn't want to stay anywhere near this psychotic spirit._

"_Sasuke-kun, I'm hurt. You think I'm psychotic?"_

_Sasuke froze, eyes widening and Orochimaru laughed again. "How?"_

"_Oh come on boy. You're supposed to be smart." Orochimaru teased. "Think about it. Think about that night and everything since then. Surely you have a guess." _

_Sasuke blinked, steeling himself. "...You bit me...on that night."_

"_Yes I did. You tasted very nice, by the way."_

_Sasuke suppressed a shudder. "...So...when you bit me...you weren't just attacking me?"_

_Orochimaru clapped his hands again, another chuckle working its way out his throat. "Very good. It wasn't just an attack. However..." His eyes turned cold. "I'm afraid we have little time for this. That demon intends to take your soul." Orochimaru grinned. "But I can save you."_

_Sasuke stared at him. "I don't need your help. The others will save me."_

_Orochimaru gave him an almost pitying look._

"_Oh dear Sasuke...don't you know that the others are dead?"_

_Sasuke froze, his body suddenly feeling ice cold and breathing became hard. "...You're lying."_

"_No I'm not. The demon appeared soon after you fainted and took them all out. Including...well, why don't I just _show_ you?" Orochimaru lifted his arm, drawing out a strange pattern in the air. The surrounding area shimmered until Sasuke found them standing in the school yard again._

_He saw Naruto holding his unconscious body and his brother running closer, Kakashi and the others following._

"_What happened?" Itachi asked, kneeling down._

"_I don't know, he just colla—" Naruto's words were cut off when the demon appeared right behind him. _

"_Naru—"_

_Sasuke felt himself scream when he saw Itachi's head slice off, blood spraying everywhere. Naruto barely had time to scream before three long, jagged claws were brutally shoved through his chest and stretched outwards, tearing his body apart._

"_NOOOOOOOOO!" Sasuke screamed, on his knees as he watched blood splatter everywhere as everyone was slaughtered. "MAKE IT STOP!" he gripped his head, thrashing around._

"_The demon killed them all, Sasuke-kun. And he's coming for you." Orochimaru said from opposite him, and Sasuke heard it then. An unearthly shriek behind him, and he turned tearful, terrified eyes to see the demon rushing towards him, covered in the blood of his loved ones. "It's going to kill you, but I can save you. Just let me take control." Orochimaru hissed into his ear._

_Sasuke's mouth opened and closed as he struggled. He didn't know what to do. He couldn't believe that his brother and boyfriend, and the others were gone. It couldn't be true._

"_Just give me control and I can make it all better." Orochimaru was insisting. "You're running out of time. Hurry up and give me control!" _

_Sasuke opened his mouth to scream out a 'yes'. He didn't want to think. He couldn't deal with this. It was all too much too fast._

_However, before he could utter a sound, another voice cut through, seeming to ring in the air._

"_SASUKE!"_

_In a brief second, Sasuke looked up. Like a tremendous explosion, everything around him was engulfed in bright orange and yellow flames. The water was bubbling and the walls were melting. He saw Orochimaru hiss and retreat back into the only shadows available. And then he saw the demon writhing away from something in the flames._

_It was all in a second, but Sasuke made out a giant, flaming creature that let out a devastating roar. The creature that looked very much like a flaming fox._

_And then it went black.

* * *

_

Sasuke woke up so fast his vision blurred, and all he could hear were surprised voices talking around him. His head suddenly filled with the vivid images of bloody corpses. He saw Itachi's headless body in his mind, and Naruto's corpse lying in scattered and bloody pieces. Vomit rushed up his throat, and he leaned to the side, throwing up onto the floor. Worried tones flitted to his ears, but he couldn't make anything out. Everything was blurred as tears gathered in his eyes and an excruciating pain was piercing through his heart.

They were gone...they were gone...everyone was go—

"Sasuke? Oh God, are you okay?"

"What's going—Sasuke!"

Those voices!

Heaving breaths, eyes streaming tears that made everything blurred, he forced himself to look up.

Sitting next to him on a stool was Naruto, his face pale as he stared at him with wide, fearful blue eyes. There was a puddle of sick near his feet, but even so his hand, which was wrapped tightly around Sasuke's elbow never left. Standing behind him at the doorway to wherever they were was Itachi, his eyes swimming with concern as he strode into the room.

Sasuke felt more tears well up, and with a voice that sounded broken even to his own ears, he whispered out his fear.

"...Am...Am I dreaming?" he asked, voice quivering.

Naruto and Itachi shook their heads slowly. "No, Sasuke. You've been asleep for a few hours now, and just a minute ago you started thrashing in you sleep. I called out to you but you didn't wake up and I had to hold you down too." Naruto explained. "You were having one hell of a nightmare."

Sasuke took a deep breath, his entire body shuddering as he choked on the air.

It had all been a dream. A sick, twisted nightmare.

"Sasuke?" Naruto asked nervously when he saw his boyfriend starting to tremble. Sasuke had not only been thrashing, but he'd been whimpering in his sleep as well. At one point he'd even let out a soft scream, and Naruto had been shocked at the horror filled and pained expression on his raven's face. It was at that point he'd called for Itachi and when he'd stepped back Sasuke had been thrashing crazily, looking scared. He'd called out his name and grabbed his arms then. Sasuke had woken up quite soon after, but he looked delirious.

"Sasuke?" He tried again, leaning closer and squeezing the raven's arm. "Are you—"

Naruto let out a yell of surprise when Sasuke launched-literally _launched_- himself off the bed and crashed into the blond. They both went toppling over into an equally surprised Itachi, who soon felt Sasuke's arm wrapping around his neck until both he and Naruto were mashed together against the raven's body.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you—" Sasuke was whispering, his voice cracking as he held both of his most precious people close to him. Naruto and Itachi managed to give each other very concerned looks before returning his hug a bit cautiously.

"Sasuke, what happened in your dream?" Itachi asked slowly, guessing that it was the cause for Sasuke's odd behaviour.

Sasuke shuddered at the thought. "...You both...everyone...you were all killed. Right there, I watched you get slaughtered by the demon..." he said faintly, and his already pale skin went white with the memory. "Oh God..."

Naruto pulled him closer, burying his face into Sasuke's neck and placing light kisses on the skin.

"It's okay Sasuke. It's okay. It was just a nightmare. I'm alive. Itachi is alive. Everyone's alive, and we're going to stay alive!" he said softly.

Sasuke nodded against his head, turning reddened eyes to his brother. "W-what about the contracts?"

Itachi sighed. "We got them all, even the ones you collected. Hidan and the others are preparing for the ritual to reverse it now."

Sasuke nodded and looked around for the first time, noting they were in the apartment/headquarters.

There were footsteps outside and the door opened, a head of blond hair sticking in before dull blue eyes widened.

"Oh my God, is he alright?" Ino asked nervously, taking in the scene. "Do I need to call an ambulance?"

Sasuke shook his head. "No! I'm...I'm alright now." He said, his voice regaining its strength. He squeezed Naruto's hand briefly, assuring himself that this was all real. "...I'm okay."

Ino nodded slowly before looking at Itachi. "Hidan says it's all ready. He wants to know if you'll join and 'watch the show'," she said, making quotation marks with her fingers. Itachi turned to Sasuke and Naruto.

"Do you two want to wait here?"

"No." They both replied, simultaneously. They shared a look of surprise, especially Sasuke.

"Dobe?"

Naruto frowned. "I want to watch that demon die. I want to witness your contracts being burned and reversed with my own eyes." He said. Sasuke nodded, but he felt the slight trembling of the blonds' arms. He smirked and hugged the blond closer.

'_You're amazing, Dobe. You're shit scared, but you're willing to throw yourself in there anyway all for me._' He thought fondly, placing a kiss on the blond jaw.

Itachi cleared his throat and turned to Ino. "Okay, we're coming. Ino, I hate to ask this but..." his eyes trailed over to the small puddle of sick by the bed. Sasuke's face heated up.

"I'll clean it up!" he said.

Ino followed Itachi's gaze and for a brief moment a look of disgust washed over her face before she schooled it. "No, it's okay. You guys go watch. I don't really want to see this thing, so I'll clean up here."

Sasuke looked slightly mortified, but before he could argue Naruto was pulling him to his feet.

"Thank you, Ino!" Naruto said sincerely, and the blonde girl smiled in response, motioning for them to leave.

* * *

Itachi led the way down the hall into the living room. Sasuke was leaning against Naruto, the blonds' arm wrapped around his back to support him. When they entered the room, the two boys stopped to take everything in.

The curtains were closed, the room dark. Candles were placed around the edges of the room, giving it a dull and creepy glow. In the middle of the room, taking up most of the floor was a large circle, the edge made from a rope that was seeping water onto the floor. Drawn inside the circle was a strange symbol, and Naruto recognized it as a similar symbol to the one on the contracts. Attached to the rope at equal intervals were paper tags with kanji written onto them. Sprinkled around the edges of the rope was a line of salt.

Hidan was standing at the edge of the circle, his arms crossed as he took everything in. Beside him, Kakuzu and Kisame were tossing the contracts into the centre of the circle without stepping over the rope. Sasori and Deidara were walking around, lighting a few more candles. Kakashi was fiddling with something inside a box.

Naruto blinked when he noticed that everyone in the room was wearing a small wooden doll on a string around their necks. He thought back and realized that Ino had had one too.

Itachi stepped into the room, and Hidan looked up.

"...You and the brats need to put the dolls on." He said, motioning to Sasori. The short redhead pointed to a basket where three more dolls were residing.

Sasuke reached into it, pulling them out. "What are these for?" he asked, examining the doll even as he handed the other two to his brother and Naruto. "They're ugly."

Across the room, Sasori sneezed loudly.

Hidan smirked, watching as the Uchiha's and blond put the dolls around their necks. "They're for safety. Think of them as one-shot bullet proof vests. If something does go awry, although I doubt it, these will offer protection long enough for us to get to some real safety. If the demon attacks you, the doll will take the hit and no damage will be done to you. But it's only for one hit. Once the doll is destroyed, you're fair game." He explained.

Naruto turned to look at the doll in awe. "This dolls are awesome!" he cheered loudly.

Sasori looked up, blinking before he smirked. "I like him." He said, pointing to Naruto, who grinned in response. Sasuke frowned and stepped closer to Naruto, sending a slight glare to Sasori. The redhead only snickered and continued his work.

Soon, everything was ready, and Hidan gave more directions.

Itachi, Kakashi, Kisame, Sasori, Kakuzu and Hidan himself were standing around the circle at equal lengths. Deidara stood right behind Hidan, next to the box Kakashi had been fiddling in earlier Naruto and Sasuke stood against the wall, near the door in case they needed to make a hasty retreat.

Sakura was standing on the other side of the door, hands holding her own protection doll as she nervously watched the proceedings. Kiba and Hinata were standing off to the side, Tenten was sitting in the corner and Shikamaru was leaning against the wall, his eyes narrowed towards the circle.

Hidan flexed his fingers and looked around. "...Are all you fuckwits ready?" he asked, grinning deviously.

Itachi scowled, Kisame, and Kakashi sighed, Sasori and Kakuzu shared a look and Deidara pouted.

"That's mean, un."

Hidan snorted. " Shut it blondie. Anyway, remember. We're going to summon the demon here. He shouldn't be able to get out of the circle, but that bastard is going to try his ass off. We don't know exactly how strong, but considering he's an ancient demon who's survived this long, we'll tack him as pretty fucking strong. Brats keep away from the circle edges, and if things start looking sketchy, get the fuck out of the way. I don't want to have to deal with you crying over booboos because you were too dense to locate the door." Hidan snapped.

Everyone nodded in understanding and Hidan drew in a deep breath.

"...Alright. Let's do this." He said lowly, and placed his hands in a complicated looking sign. One by one, the others around the circle followed his lead until all their hands were forming the strange sign.

As one, they took a deep breath and held it for three seconds.

Sasuke bit his lip, his eyes trained on his older brother. '_Be carefully, aniki._'

Itachi's eyes opened. '_I'll protect Sasuke...no matter what!_'

And the men began to chant; a long string of strange words that none of the children could understand or keep up with. As one, their arms started to move, forming different signs with their hands in a well practiced motion. Not once did the chanting break, nor did their synchronisation waver.

Naruto squeezed Sasuke's hand tightly when the air inside the circle began shimmering. The candles around the room flickered before burning brightly, illuminating the entire room.

Sasuke's eyes widened, and there were gasps around the room as a writhing black mass appeared in the middle of the circle. The contracts below began to flutter and twirl.

"Deidara!" Hidan called during a short break in the chant. The blond nodded and reached into the box, pulling out a wooden crucifix that had silver tipped at the edges. With a fluid flick of his wrist, Deidara threw the crucifix into the circle. It landed in the middle, on top of the contracts. Immediately the room was filled with the sound of an inhuman shriek as the black mass writhed even worse. The contracts started smoking around the crucifix before slowly the edges started to burn away.

Another shriek echoed and the black mass took a more solid shape, looking like a figure in a black cloak with wicked claws and a mangled, twisted face. It thrashed to the side, reaching the edge of the circle before another shriek reverberated through the room.

Sasuke jerked back when a ripple of flames exploded in the air from where the demon had been at the edge of the circle, before the flames vanished into nothingness, like they'd never been there. The demon continued to thrash and fly around, reaching the edges of the circle and screaming before bouncing back from the flaming ripples.

It was almost like a...

"Force field..." Naruto whispered, his face pale as the demon thrashed again. "It's like a supernatural force field or something!"

Sasuke nodded, and his eyes dropped to the men around. He blinked when he saw the looks of strain on their faces. Their eyes were narrowed in effort, jaws clenched tightly and hands gripped in a sign and shaking. Their cheeks were slowly becoming red with force, and every time the demon hit the side of the circle, they were jerk and twitch.

Sasuke gritted his teeth. "Come on...Come on!" he urged softly.

Hidan grunted when another hit shocked through his body, and he cursed in his head at the pressure he felt. It was almost as if he was standing against a tidal wave trying to push him back, but he kept his hands locked together in the sign and fought back. They had to maintain their strength until all the contracts were burnt. His eyes danced over the papers, and he gave a pained grin when he saw they were burning even faster.

However, with every contract that disappeared, the demon grew more frantic and violent.

It spun and flew straight at Itachi, who's eyes widened briefly.

"ITACHI!" Sasuke yelled, seeing the demon head for his brother. Everyone around the circle suddenly hunched their shoulders and groaned with strain, and the demon was pushed back into the middle of the circle by the exploding flames before it could get too close to the Uchiha.

Sasuke slumped back against the wall, Naruto squeezing his hand reassuringly.

"We're going to make it!" Naruto hissed determinedly.

* * *

Romi kicked her legs back and forth, the chair being so tall her feet couldn't touch the ground.

All around her, nurses and doctors were walking by, talking, rushing to rooms and running alongside stretchers.

She frowned, running a hand over her bandaged face as she recalled how she'd gotten here.

After making it to her room, something had attacked her and broken through. She'd managed to duck under it and run down to the nearest open area, where there were several nurses on break. As soon as the women had caught sight of her, they'd rushed to see what was wrong, and Romi had felt the thing leave.

But that wasn't the only thing that was confusing her. While she'd been fighting to keep that thing out of her room, she could've sworn she heard a familiar voice whispering to her, telling her to run and find other people for safety.

It had almost sounded like...

She shook her head, pulling her knees up and hugged them, smiling to herself.

"That's just silly..." she murmured. "I guess the guys are right. I do idolize him too much. There's no way Uchiha-kun was the one telling me to run." She giggled at the absurdity.

However, despite her outward words, a small part of her resolved to ask the raven the next time she saw him.

* * *

They had been holding out against the demon for a total of an hour now, and all the men were looking exhausted. But they weren't giving up.

There was only five contracts left, and they were burning up quickly.

They were so close...

"Just...a bit...more!" Hidan growled. His hands were shaking with the effort to maintain the seal. It felt as if his hands were opposing magnets, trying to push away from each other, and it took so much energy to hold them together and still focus on keeping the barrier up.

Itachi was sweating like hell, droplets dripping down the side of his face. His shoulders ached from working to keep his arms in place, and his hands were throbbing. But he ignored all the pain, and kept his face as blank as he could, the only signs of his discomfort being the slight tick in his jaw and the redness on his cheeks.

Kisame was panting through his nose, but keeping up a good, strong hold. Kakuzu was standing perfectly still, looking absolutely fine if not for the fact one could see his arm muscles flexing and the veins popping in his neck. Sasori, the shortest one, had his eyes closed, a look of pure concentration on his face. His hair was matted down to his forehead with sweat and his shoulders were trembling.

Deidara stood behind the redhead, biting his lip. "You can do it Sasori!" he muttered lowly.

Sasori, through the pressure, allowed a smirk to twist his lips.

Sasuke was watching the last of the contracts disappear, his eyes trained on the one in the middle. It had his name on it and the edges had only just begun to burn. The other contracts were vanishing in puffs of blackened smoke until his was the only one left.

"One more!" Hidan called out, his voice cracked with strain. The others nodded in agreement feeling relief.

The demon was going insane, thrashing every which way and screaming for all it was worth. The edges of the circle were almost always rippling flames with how much the demon was thrashing against it. As the last contract began to curl into itself as the flames licked at the paper, the demon froze before turning, its red eyes trained on Sasuke. Letting out the most frightening scream yet, it shot forwards like a bullet.

There were yells from everyone when the demon hit the wall, and suddenly, all of their hands save for Itachi and Hidan, were forced apart. And with that the demon got through.

And it shot straight for the youngest Uchiha.

The girls screamed, and Itachi's head snapped around, eyes widening in pure terror as he watched the demon head for his baby brother. A desperate shout was ripping out of his throat.

Sasuke stared ahead as the demon headed for him, claw outstretched and eyes burning. He couldn't breathe, or hear or smell...he could only see his own death approaching at lightning speed. He waited for the feel of those claws tearing into his skin, to feel his life leave his body. Bitterly, he wondered if he would become a ghost for his friends to hunt.

And then his vision was obscured by gold spikes and a tan neck. And fear gripped at his heart.

Naruto didn't even think. He didn't have time to think. His body moved, and he stepped to the side, placing himself in front of Sasuke, in the way of the demon. As it came closer, only a foot away now, he growled.

"Die!"

In the air, right between the oncoming demon and himself, flames explode and swirl, almost creating a flower-like shape. The demon shrieked as the bright orange flames swept towards it, washing over its hooded body and pushing it back. Naruto grunted as he felt a harsh pressure against his chest, but didn't move an inch. The demon was flung back, screaming and writhing and burning until it was once more in the circle.

"GET BACK! REFORM!" Hidan roared, pressing his hands tightly together and chanting loudly at high speed. The others regained their composure and joined, hands slapping together and voices rising in pitch and intensity as they chanted. The demon seemed to grow larger and large as the last contract grew smaller and smaller until finally, finally it disappeared in a wisp of black smoke. As soon as it was gone, there was an ear-splitting, blood-chilling scream from the demon before it exploded in a mass of white flames and black tar that splattered on the ground, bubbling.

A pulse of air swept through the room at the explosion, knocking everyone off their feet. The curtains flapped and swung open, the dim light of twilight filling the room as the candles went out.

For a moment, everyone lay still, catching their breath.

However, the silence was broken soon.

"Deidara...let go." Sasori's weak yet grumpy voice muttered. The redhead was lying on top of the blond man, his back against Deidara's chest. The idiot had jumped forward to catch him the moment he was blown off his feet, and of course they both had hit the ground.

Deidara grinned and slowly unwrapped his arms from around the shorter male. "Sorry, un."

Kisame pushed himself up, groaning and rubbing the back of his head. "...Well that was intense." He muttered darkly.

Kakuzu and Kakashi also sat up, cracking joints. Hidan stayed on his back, breathing heavily.

"...And that..." he huffed, "...Is how...you fuck...with a demon...Hidan style." He finished with a grin.

Kakashi sighed. "Well, as grateful as we are...I think the 'Hidan Style' could use some work."

"Fuck off."

Chuckles and snorts ran through the room.

Sasuke rolled over onto his stomach, and reached out. His hand formed a fist, and he pulled his arm back before swinging it forward.

"OUCH!"

Naruto curled in on himself, rubbing at his chest were Sasuke had just punched him. Pained blue eyes looked up at him, and he scowled. "The hell was that for, bastard?" he snapped.

Sasuke was on top of him a second later, growling. "Don't you ever, EVER take a hit for me again! Don't step in the way when something's about to attack me! Don't risk your life for me!" he yelled into the hushed room. Everyone was watching the two of them.

Naruto stared up at him, mouth open in surprise. Finally, he took a breath. "...Sasuke..."

Gasps echoed in the room when Sasuke's head snapped the side, Naruto's fist following the movement. Fiery blue eyes glared up into surprised onyx.

"Don't tell me what to do! I will always risk myself for you! I will do whatever it takes to protect you, you stupid jerk!" he declared loudly. Before Sasuke could answer, Naruto sat up, grabbing the front of his shirt and jerking him forward. He claimed the raven's lips fiercely, moving against them and his tongue forcing entrance into the stunned Uchiha's mouth. Sasuke could only slowly respond to the intense kiss. He tried to fight for dominance, but it seemed Naruto was having none of that. The blond growled and bit his lip harshly, making Sasuke withdraw and give him the lead again.

After a moment, just when Sasuke was sure he was going to pass out, Naruto pulled back and shook him roughly.

"And don't you forget it." He said harshly before shoving the raven off of him.

Sasuke landed on his behind and stared at the blond in shock. He'd never expected Naruto to be so...

"Not to interrupt this moment of declarations of undying love or anything...but we need to clean this place up." Kakashi said, his smirk evident behind his mask as he looked at Sasuke. There were murmurs of agreement and slowly everyone started to clear the things away.

Naruto climbed to his feet, and held out his hand for Sasuke. Still feeling stunned, the raven reached out and let the blond pull him to his feet. Once he was upright, Naruto leant closer to his ear and whispered something that made Sasuke's heart race. He turned wide black eyes to the blond, and Naruto gave him a small, almost shy smile.

"...I got to go now teme. Jiraiya said to call him once this was over, and he'll probably pick me up. See you tomorrow at school?" he said, giving Sasuke a gentle peck on the cheek before turning to go into the hall and call his father.

Sasuke raised his hand and pressed his fingers to his cheek. Itachi came p behind him, placing a hand on his shoulder. The older Uchiha was beyond relieved that his baby brother was safe now, and he smiled down at the raven.

"That boy really loves you." He murmured. Sasuke twitched, and nodded, Naruto's earlier whispered words echoing in his mind and warming his soul.

"_I'll always be here to protect you because I love you."_

He closed his eyes and smirked. '_Dobe...so will I._'

* * *

It was late now, and everyone had gone home but for the two of them. Kakuzu was sitting in the corner, looking through some files. It seemed that the man could never be distracted from his job as an accountant.

Sitting on a chair, leaning back, Hidan studied the wooden doll in his hand, his eyes narrowed. He turned it over, examining the back before once more flipping it over. A low sound of curiosity and apprehension made it's way out of his throat.

"Oi...Kakuzu..." he mumbled. "...Come here for a second."

His partner looked up from his papers, intent on telling the silver head off for interrupting him, but he paused at the serious expression on Hidan's face. After a second of hesitation, he put the papers aside and stood up, making his way over to the other man.

"What is it?"

Hidan smacked his lips, looking contemplative. He held up the doll. "Take a look at this and tell me what you see." He said.

Kakuzu gave him a confused look, but once more the serious face of his comrade made him obey. He took the doll, turning it over and over, examining every inch. He couldn't see anything strange about it. The rope was slightly singed, but considering the fact that there had been a lot of fire during the ritual, he wasn't too surprised. He did notice a scorch mark on the back of the doll, but didn't think it was too concerning.

"It's one of the protection dolls we used." He said.

Hidan nodded slowly . He flicked his hand in the direction of the doll, loosely pointing to it. After licking his lips, he spoke in a slow, almost mocking manner.

"That doll...happens to be the doll...that was around our dear Uzumaki-kun's neck." He finished.

Kakuzu gaped, his eyes switching between the doll and Hidan's serious face. "...It was his?"

"Yep."

"...But...But it's not damaged!"

Hidan nodded. "And that's exactly why it's odd. That runt was the only one who got attacked by the demon, so to speak. When the demon was repelled, I thought it was the doll's work. However, if that was the case, the doll would've been burned, chipped and otherwise mangled." Hidan paused, almost for dramatic effect. "...This doll is untouched but for a small mark on the back...which was pressed against Uzumaki-kun's stomach."

Kakuzu pulled out a chair and sat down quickly, his eyes trained on his partner. "...Then that means the only kind of force that could cause the doll damage came from..."

"From Uzumaki himself." Hidan finished.

A heavy silence fell on the room as the two thought about this new piece of information. Finally, after what seemed like hours, Kakuzu cleared his throat and looked his partner in the eye.

"...Looks like I've got some research and background checking to do."

* * *

**...LALALALALA! ^_^**

**How'd ya like it? Was it good? Are you excited? Are you interested? Are you never going to read it again?**

**Reviews would be so much appreciated and loved!**

**Kao: *cough*reviewwhore*cough***

**Me: Careful, son...you have yet to play a part and I have no qualms about killing my characters...**

**Kao: ... O.O  
**


	12. Reunion in the Dark

**Okay, wow, LONGEST chapter I've written for this story...I think I may have written a longer or as long one in the previews RS, but I can't remember...oh well.**

**Hi Everyone! I'm so sorry for the very long wait for this update, but things have been hectic. I haven't written a single thing for the past five days since I've been working (like real working) on a job for my mom. And lemme just say...I have never been so annoyed at the fact I'm able to draw cartoony characters like I was over this past week. Because that's what I had to do...but it was not enjoyable since the creativity was limited to a certain theme, and each picture was limited to a certain description...Let's just say it wasn't as fun as I'd originally thought it would be**.

**But ANYHOO! Here he have the next chapter of RS-2! Things are definitely heating up, wouldn't you agree? **

**Now then...this chapter... *grin* has several little elements in it...I think the yaoi fangirls will get a few giggles...the horror fans will find some interest, and... *trails off looking towards the right***

**Kao: *looks up and grins* I do like this chapter indeed.**

**Kam: *nods* Me too...it took you long enough, M-uh-Sensei... *sniggers***

**Juura: *turns back to crowd* Well,..judging by a lot of reviews, a lot of people might enjoy this chapter**** very much****. Now then, no more delays!**

**Warning: Swearing, Horror, light yaoiness, and...hehehe, you'll see.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto... **

**(forgive grammar and spelling mistakes, but I wanted to get this out quickly since it's been so long. I will go over it again later though so feel free to point out especially horrific errors!)  
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* * *

Reunion in the Dark**

'_Double, double, toil and trouble! Fire burn and cauldron bubble!'_

'_Double, double, toil and trouble! Something wicked this way comes!'_

The door was pushed open, light from the hall sending the figure standing in the doorway into shadow.

"Boys..." a soft voice spoke, the high pitch easily recognized as that of a woman.

Two heads turned towards her, the song continuing to play in the background. Outside the window, rain beat mercilessly against the glass. Lightning flashed briefly, illuminating a set of murky hazel green eyes.

"It's time for bed." The woman continued stepping into the room. Her hands stretched out, thin wrists twisting until her palms settled upon two sets of fiery red hair. "We're having a busy day tomorrow after all. You'll need all your energy."

The heads nodded slowly.

"So you're coming too?" one asked, the voice sleepy and rough.

"Of course. If I left you two alone you'd destroy the place." A smile curved in the dark.

"I can't argue with that." A third voice said, followed by a round of snickers.

"Now then, into bed. I'm in a good mood so I'll tuck you in tonight." The woman continued.

The two smaller figures quickly scrambled towards the twin beds on the other side of the room and they climbed under the covers.

"You know, we're a bit too old to be tucked in." The one said.

"Nonsense. You never get too old to do anything." The woman said.

"I guess..." the third said softly, scooting back. The woman nodded and worked to make sure they were covered before bending and placing soft kisses on each of their foreheads.

"Goodnight boys." She said, smoothing down their hair before making her way towards the door.

The song was reaching its end, and she paused to sing along softly, hearing the boys softly join in. Their grins were easily heard.

"_Something wicked this way comes_!" they chorused.

Lightning flashed outside, briefly illuminating three identical grins before the music was gone and the door snapped shut.

* * *

Sasuke's breath came out in short gasps, his muscles straining and flexing. His footsteps echoed loudly as he ran through the warehouse. He heard a high pitched whistle from behind him and cursed, diving to the side. The blur of silvery white streaked past and the light overhead crackled before the glass burst and shattered to the floor like rain.

Sasuke sucked in a deep breath and rolled over, looking up. He gritted his teeth and snapped his eyes open, concentrating with all his might.

His eyes burned and itched and soon his vision began to blur red. Suddenly, everything was thrown into sharp relief and he could see floating patches of something that looked like silvery smoke.

Spiritual Residue.

"Okay...okay!" He panted, focusing once more. His eyes darted around, the crimson irises of the Sharingan seeming to gleam in the darkened room. He heard another high pitched whistle and quickly rolled over. Something collided with the floor, the stone cracking and a cloud of dust rising. Sasuke swallowed thickly and continued to look around.

Distantly, he heard his brother's voice calling for him, but he knew he couldn't call out right now. The spirit was attacking blindly and if he made too much noise it would pin point him.

Looking around again, he spotted the hovering figure of the ghost. Its figure was little more than a mangled blob, and Sasuke couldn't stop his face from scrunching in disgust.

'_Okay...come on! Work! Work!_' he thought, once more concentrating and focusing on his eyes. They began to burn and itch and suddenly he felt as if he was being sucked into a vortex. His line of sight narrowed down until it seemed he was looking through a tube. Flashes of red, white and black erupted in front of him and then he was no longer on the floor of the warehouse, but hovering above. The machines and rooms were new and shining, even if the image before him flickered like an old movie. Swallowing, he studied the image before him, searching for a clue as to what this ghost was.

Then he saw it.

A man was standing near the large paper-cutter. He was so focused on his job he didn't see the person sneaking up behind him. Sasuke covered his mouth in shock when he saw the person shoving the working man forward and holding him down. The Uchiha turned away, not wanting to watch the screaming worker get cut clean in half by the machine.

The image flickered again and then erupted into flashes of light. Sasuke blinked and found himself staring up at the old and worn ceiling of the warehouse again. However, what made him gasp in horror was the ghost staring straight down at him.

"SHIT!" He curled up, covering his head with his arms when the floor around him started to crack and shatter. He rolled to one side, but before he could get very far the tile exploded. Small pieces of stone and concrete shot into the air and Sasuke rolled the other way to avoid his limbs falling prey to the explosive invisible beam, as he guessed it was. But before he got further the other way, the tile exploded again.

He rolled onto his back and opened his eyes only to see the ghost looming closer, twisted smile on its pale, dead face.

"Oh..." he breathed, eyes growing wide.

"Sasuke!"

The ghost let out an inhuman shriek as suddenly it was engulfed in fierce black flames. Sasuke flinched as it slowly broke apart, the white essences becoming encompassed with black before dissolving into the air.

Sasuke let out a slow breath to calm his heart and pushed himself as Itachi walked forwards.

"Are you alright?" Itachi asked slowly, his eyes fading back to their usual dark onyx. Sasuke nodded, looking up.

"I got it to activate...and I saw how he died," he said.

Itachi's face softened into an approving smile. "You've made a lot of progress. I'm proud of you."

Sasuke let out a soft chuckle. "Yeah...great..." he breathed. "Are we finished here?"

"Yes."

"Oh good." And Sasuke promptly passed out from exhaustion.

Itachi laughed softly as he bent down to pick his baby brother up. Kakashi came running around the corner, skidding to a stop.

"Sasuke-Oh God is he alright?" he asked frantically.

"He's fine. He activated his Sharingan and he's just exhausted now. I took care of the ghost." Itachi answered calmly, shifting Sasuke in his arms slightly. Kakashi breathed out in relief, looking at the damaged area.

"We've been doing one job after the other lately and Sasuke's been taking more active roles." He noted. "I know you want him to develop his Sharingan to a point he can use it freely, but I think he needs a break."

Itachi raised a perfectly curved eyebrow and smirked knowingly. "You mean you want a break, right?"

Kakashi laughed, his smile seen even through his mask. The two men and unconscious boy headed towards the exit. When they stepped outside, the sun momentarily blinded them. Once their eyes cleared they saw the large white van they'd arrived in. Leaning against the van was Kisame, who looked up when they walked nearer. His eyes landed on Sasuke and he straightened, sending questioning glances to Itachi.

"He's fine, just exhausted. He did a lot of the fighting this time around." Itachi was quick to explain as he saw the growing worry in his friends eyes. Kisame sighed and relaxed.

"That's good...he's becoming a really good ghost hunter. We'll have to buy him an orange jumpsuit soon." He teased, winking at Itachi.

Sasuke grumbled in his sleep, curling up slightly into Itachi's chest. Itachi made an understanding noise, rocking the younger boy slightly.

"I know, little brother. We'll get you one custom made with Naruto-kun's face on the front." He cooed teasingly.

Sasuke smirked in his sleep.

Kakashi burst out laughing and Kisame grinned, pulling open the doors so that Itachi could manoeuvre inside and keep hold of the sleeping raven. Once they'd all climbed inside, he started the engine and they drove away from the warehouse that was now ghost free.

Kakashi yawned loudly as he led the way into the apartment of the headquarters. Itachi followed, Sasuke resting on his back and Kisame brought up the rear, closing the door behind them with a soft click.

They headed into the living room and the older Uchiha carefully placed Sasuke onto the couch. Shikamaru looked up from his spot on the recliner and raised an eyebrow in question before shrugging and closing his eyes.

Ino and Sakura soon walked into the room from the kitchen and their eyes widened.

"Sasuke...? Is he alright?" Ino asked.

"Just tired." Itachi said calmly, taking a seat and placing his brother's feet in his lap. The girls nodded, also taking seats while Kakashi sat in his chair and swirled around in boredom.

"Well, that was another successful job. I'll email the client and we shall be paid." He clapped his hands in triumph and turned to send said email to said client when the door was practically thrown off its hinges.

"EVERYONE! I HAVE YOUTHFUL NEWS!"

Oh dear God...

Sasuke groaned, opening his eye and glaring blurrily up at the figure of his brother.

"Worst...wake up call...ever." he grit out and Itachi nodded sympathetically as Lee strode into the room grinning for all he was worth.

"Lee, you broke the door...again." Ino sighed, pointing. Lee's eyes grew wide and he turned to look at the door. When he turned back an exceptionally guilty expression was adorning his face.

"I am so very sorry about that. I was just so excited to tell you all the news," he said apologetically. Kakashi sighed, waving his hand.

"No problem. When Kiba arrives I'll get him to fix it," he said flippantly.

"Get me to do what?" Kiba asked, walking in at that moment.

"Oh good. Kiba, fix the door." Kakashi ordered the gaping boy.

"What? No! Fix your own damn door!"

"Okay, but then you won't get paid."

Kiba grumbled loudly as he leant down next to the broken door, trying to re-screw the hinges in. Kakashi's smile was prominent even through his mask while the rest of the room snickered at the dog-lover's expense.

"So anyway, Lee what is this news?" Itachi asked, turning his attention to the green-loving boy who immediately perked up.

"Ah yes! There is a carnival coming to town, and it is going to have many youthful shows and displays for the youthful public. I thought it would be absolutely youth-filled if we were to attend! As a sort of youthful vacation!"

Kakashi had a hand over his eyes. "Lee...I'll make a deal with you."

"Yes, my youthful leader?"

"I'll let the entire crew go to this carnival, my treat, if you promise not to utter the word 'youthful' until the carnival is gone, starting right now."

"It is a deal, my young-hearted leader!"

Kakashi's head hit the desk with a solid thump.

* * *

Naruto rolled over, eyes darting around to look at his room as he struggled to regain his breath. He'd had another intense dream-or was it a nightmare? He wasn't sure- and had abruptly woken up once more. All he could really remember about the dream was that he had been searching for someone and stumbled into a room filled with roaring flames taking the shape of some kind f animal. Details other than that were scarce and yet he panted for breath as if he'd been on a long chase through rough terrain the entire night.

Turning onto his back, he let out a deep sigh and closed his eyes, listening to the faint sounds of Jiraiya in the kitchen doing...whatever it was old perverts do in the kitchen in the morning. Naruto tilted his head back, stretching on the bed before going limp and yawning.

His fingers scratched at his bare chest before moving to his stomach to tend to a rather annoying itch around his stomach. His nails scraped over the skin around his belly button and he paused, eyes narrowing in confusion. The skin felt slightly different, as if it was raised. As if there was a welt or...marking?

He tilted his head, moving his hand to look. A small gasp escaped him and he blinked before his eyes widened.

His skin was normal.

Sitting up, he ran his fingers over his stomach lightly. He could have sworn he saw something black on his skin a second ago. Feeling the area, he noticed that the strange welt-feeling was also gone. His skin was smooth once more.

Frowning in confusion, he stared down at his stomach in thought. Was it maybe just his imagination? A bit of weirdness after a weird dream? It wouldn't be the first time.

He remembered when he was younger in the orphanage. Sometimes he would wake up after a strange or scary dream and would think he was seeing things. It was one of the reasons he'd come to fear ghosts, since he'd always believed they were lurking nearby, waiting to scare him.

It was funny how they managed to do that without even lifting a transparent, ectoplasm-y finger.

His hand absently rubbed at his stomach while he leant back again, thinking about all those times when he was younger and was so scared. It amazed him how much he had changed. He smiled slightly, remember a few of his more amusing adventures back then.

* * *

_Naruto sat in the tree, his legs swinging in the air while he sucked on the cherry flavoured lollipop Jiraiya had given him and the other kids. Below him in the garden, the other kids were playing happily. His big blue eyes watched in amusement as he saw Sora get tackled to the ground by an eager Kankurou while they played tag. Sora was shouting unhappily at being dragged to the ground while the others laughed, and Naruto smiled around his treat at the boy's complaints._

_Suddenly he felt someone tug on his ankle and looked down to see no one was there. Blinking in confusion, the six year old looked around the tree but there was no one else. Deciding he'd imagined it, he continued watching the game below and giggled when he saw Iruka-sensei come running out to separate Sora and Temari, who had started to hit the boy when he poked Kankurou in the eye on purpose._

_The tugging feeling came again, and he looked down quickly. But there was no one else there. He frowned, feeling a little concerned and lifted his legs up. He scooted back so that he was sitting against the trunk and held his legs to his chest. He remembered one of the kids telling him the tree had a ghost, but Tsunade-baa-chan had promised him there were no ghosts in the tree. He continued to suck on his treat, now keeping a wary eye open in case another odd tug would occur._

_He heard a rustling behind him, and was about to turn around to yell at whoever it was when he heard a ghostly moan. He froze, his eyes growing ten times their size while his mouth fell open; the lollipop falling to the ground. _

"_Naaaaruuuutoooooo..." the moan came again, sounding like dead leaves. Naruto's eyes almost exploded out of his head as he let out a shriek. He hurried to scramble down the tree, almost falling down the last of the way before he reached the ground. He ran towards Iruka-sensei, almost crying in his fright and clung to the startled man's leg while yelling about haunted tree's, all the while blind to the two kids laughing in the tree.

* * *

_

Naruto huffed at the memory. He hadn't spoken to Kao and Mizuru for weeks after that day, even though the red-head had apologized, somewhat, and the girl had given him a biscuit as her apology.

Iruka-sensei had, of course, been furious with the two for scaring Naruto so badly, considering he'd almost fallen out the tree. Naruto smiled as he remembered Iruka chasing the two children around the house before catching them and putting them in time out for an hour.

His eyes closed slightly and he gave a small sad frown. He sent a prayer to the heavens for Mizuru, hoping that she was in a better place. She may have turned into a rather annoying teenager, but she had still been his friend in the orphanage.

A sudden knock on his door made him jolt up, and Jiraiya entered, holding the phone in his hand.

"Hey kid, you're potential rapist is on the phone." Jiraiya grinned, tossing the device to Naruto.

As he put the phone to his ear, he heard Sasuke's annoyed voice calling.

"-Old man, I'm not a fucking rapist!"

"Nah uh, he said _potential_ rapist, my dear Sasuke." Naruto snickered when Sasuke's grumbles died to low murmurs of annoyance. "What's up, most beloved boyfriend of mine?"

Finally, Sasuke got over his little hissy fit and his voice showed the happy smirk. "Well, most idiotic boyfriend of mine, there is a carnival coming to town and Kakashi is paying for the whole crew to go."

Naruto's eyebrows vanished into his hairline. "Kakashi is paying for everyone? Whatever convinced him to do that?"

Sasuke's laugh was definitely cruel. "He made Lee swear not to say the word 'youthful' until the carnival was over."

Naruto fell back, laughing in earnest. He sighed happily, wiping at his eyes. "Oh that's good. So that's how he's paying? He struck a deal with Lee?"

"Yes, but they had to make an amendment."

"Oh? How come?"

"Lee replaced 'youthful' with 'young-hearted'."

Naruto's laughter took a full two minutes to stop.

"And...and the amendment was?" He gasped at last.

"Kakashi would pay for the entire crew's entrance fee as well as the total of one extra friend for every member who has completed a job over the last week if Lee didn't say anything even related to the word 'youth' for the whole time. So, dobe, you get to come for free."

Naruto grinned before a thought struck him. "Wait, you've done a job over the week?"

"Yes. I did one yesterday actually."

Naruto gaped. He'd had to go home early after school yesterday because he had a doctor's appointment. "Are you okay?"

"Hn. I'm fine."

He sighed with relief. Usually, he accompanied Sasuke back to the headquarters after school, mainly just to keep him company. Although, the grope and make-out sessions in the bathroom, nurse office and storage cupboard were pretty awesome too.

"I'm glad," he said sincerely, "You must be careful Sasuke... I know that most of the jobs you do are busts or have pretty weak ghosts but..." the image of Mizuru's body covered in blood flashed in his mind and he closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, "You have to be careful because you never know what might happen."

"Naruto? Are you alright?" The concern in Sasuke's voice brought a smile to his face, and he leant back.

"Yeah...just thinking about what happened back at the orphanage...with Mizuru..." he trailed off, looking to the side. A picture from the orphanage with all the kids and the care-takers was resting on his side table. Mizuru was standing in the corner, Sora's arm wrapped over her shoulder and a smile on her face.

"Naruto..." Sasuke's voice sounded rather helpless, and Naruto quickly gave a laugh.

"I'm okay teme, really. I'm excited about this carnival! Will there be roller coasters and shit?"

"Hn. Apparently there'll be a lot more than that. Roller coasters, a circus, stands and games, a ferris wheel...hell it's more like a portable amusement park than a simple carnival." Sasuke's voice was back to the usual deep tone.

Naruto's grin grew as he stepped out of bed. "That's awesome! I can't wait! When are we going?"

"Tonight, if you can make it and then the whole of tomorrow. Is that good?"

"Hell yes! I'll be over there before tonight even!" Naruto declared happily, heading into the bathroom. He looked himself over in the mirror, noting the way his hair was extremely mussed and his eyes were still a bit glazed from sleep. He snickered lightly.

"Hey Sasuke..." he almost purred.

"...Hn?"

"I just got out of bed...and I look like I've just been laid." Naruto snickered at the slight choking sound he heard through the phone. His grin was reaching epic proportions as he examined his face in the mirror, wiping at some sleep.

"Is that so?" Sasuke's voice was definitely a tad deeper than it had been a moment ago.

"Why yes it is. And look at this!" Naruto said in mock surprise. He turned on the tap, letting Sasuke hear the water running. "I need to wash my face..." he said, splashing a bit of water on his skin and letting the droplets slide down. "But there's no towels... it look like I'm going be a bit wet for a while."

Sasuke was most definitely breathing a tad heavier.

Naruto knew he was being rather mean but he just couldn't help it. He had the perfect opportunity to tease his boyfriend! How could he possibly resist?

"Dobe...you'd better be careful or else I won't be responsible for my actions." Sasuke's growled into the phone. Naruto grinned at the slightly breathless quality the raven's voice had taken.

"Now you see, Sasuke," he purred the syllables, "...that is _exactly_ why my dad calls you a potential rapist."

"Dobe!"

Naruto laughed, calling a quick goodbye followed by a "Don't rape me when you see me later!" before he hung up on his yelling raven.

* * *

The sounds of crowds laughing, cheering, chattering and otherwise being noisy was very audible even though the crew were still a block or two away from the carnival. It had been set up near the beach docks, spreading out onto the docks and then out some towards the nearby forest bordering one side of the city limits. From the distance, the crew could make out the tip of a roller coaster, and the briefly saw a car tipping over the edge before distant screams of joy and excitement-and pure fear- were heard.

"This is going to be so fun!" Kiba yelled happily, pumping his fist into the air while the other hand held firmly onto Hinata's fingers. The shy girl nodded, walking a bit faster than normal in her own excitement to reach the carnival.

Lee was jogging up ahead with Akamaru and Deidara, who was almost as excited as the green-track suit wearing boy. Sakura and Ino were working together to drag a protesting Shikamaru and mournful looking Chouji faster.

"Troublesome! I'll get there when I get there!" Shikamaru grumbled as Ino tugged on his arm. Chouji wanted to go back to the office to grab a bag of chips and was trying to persuade Sakura to withdraw the deathgrip she had on his arm.

"But Chouji, just think of all the carnival food stands!" Sakura said.

The others were left to stare in shock as Sakura was almost dragged-her feet worked double time to prevent this- by the large boy as he bolted towards the carnival.

"Hey! They're going to beat us! Come on you lazy ass run!" Ino shouted, not willing to let Sakura reach the carnival before her. With strength fuelled by determination, Ino pulled Shikamaru along until the two were sprinting after the others. They distinctly heard Shikamaru's uncharacteristically loud shout of-

"You're both troublesome twits!"

Kakashi sighed, walking along while he stared at the contents of his wallet. Contents which were soon going to disappear completely in a matter of seconds.

"My poor baby...I'm so sorry." He mumbled sadly, picking up a note and pressing it to his mask. "Oh God I'm going to miss the smell of money." He breathed. When he placed the bill back and looked up, he was met with several pairs of very worried eyes. "What?" he asked innocently.

Sasori shook his head, walking ahead. "Freak." He murmured.

"At least I've got enough balls to admit I like someone!" Kakashi called back. He was rewarded with a pebble smacking against his forehead from a nearby flower bed.

Kisame and Itachi was having a soft conversation between themselves, Kisame often grinning and Itachi smirking. Tenten and Shino were walking side by side, pointing out different things they saw.

Sasuke was walking ahead of Kakashi, his arm wrapped firmly around the waist of his blond boyfriend. Naruto had wanted to run ahead with the girls and Lee, but Sasuke had other plans. He still hadn't entirely forgiven the blond for the teasing earlier and was currently gaining revenge even as he walked.

"S-Sasuke..." Naruto breathed. It was extremely difficult to walk upright when the pale bastard's hand was down the front of his pants, touching him lightly and the action was so wonderfully hidden by the darkness of the evening and his long orange hoodie to boot. "S-stop!"

"Hn, no. Payback, Na-ru-to." Sasuke smirked, leaning close to the blond and blowing into his ear. Naruto squirmed, but it only served to make Sasuke's fingers brush him again and he groaned aloud, the sound born from a mix of frustration and feeling.

"Dammit teme, I said I was sorry!" Naruto whined. As good as it felt, he couldn't walk around the entire carnival with a hard-on! There were innocent-possibly-children running around there and he couldn't even begin to imagine what horrifying reactions the adults would have upon seeing him that way!

As they neared the entrance, Naruto resorted to whining pitifully until finally, finally, Sasuke relented and removed his hand. Naruto sighed, turning to call his bastard boyfriend exactly that when he saw Sasuke licking his fingers. His stomach heated and he had to bite his lip to stop any noises escape, especially when Sasuke turned his smouldering eyes to him, smirking.

"Hn."

Naruto asked himself why he was dating such a bastard. '_Seriously! He's sadistic and just plain mean!_' he thought frantically as Sasuke pulled him towards the entrance where Kakashi was sobbing as he forked over the money.

They group entered the carnival at last and very soon everyone was talking about what to do first. It didn't take long for the group to start splitting up. Deidara wasted no time grabbing a flustered Sasori's hand and dragging him away towards some game or another, laughing excitedly.

Chouji attached himself to the food stands, and Shikamaru followed him along to escape Ino and Sakura's clutches lest they drag him around anymore. Ino and Sakura, for their part, decided to go to the fortune teller stand and get their palms read. Undoubtedly they would be searching for their true love or whatever it was that ran through their minds. Shino vanished amongst a stand holding many different and creepy looking insects in cages and everyone let him go, knowing the boy wouldn't be happier anywhere else.

Kakashi, Itachi and Kisame eventually found a nice looking coffee shop where they sat down to talk, and rest before doing whatever they wished, keeping Akamaru with them on a leash all the while. That left Tenten, Sasuke, Naruto, Lee, Kiba and Hinata to wander around looking for something to do.

Tenten eventually darted into a tent where several performers were playing with many sharp things and Tenten watched in great fascination.

"Alright! Let's head to the biggest roller coaster!" Naruto yelled excitedly, and both Lee and Naruto copied his movement towards the large contraption eagerly. Hinata and Sasuke shared looks of 'they're completely nuts be we like them anyway' before following after.

The line was surprisingly short, and they managed to get into a car very soon. Naruto and Sasuke sat in the front while Kiba and Hinata sat behind. Lee was placed behind them and next to a small girl wearing dark glasses and a baseball cap. It was rather odd attire for the evening, but you found all sorts of people at places like this so no one commented.

When the ride began, Naruto clutched the bar eagerly. "This is going to rock!" he hissed excitedly, leaning forward to watch as they moved. Sasuke grabbed his hoodie, yanking him back to his seat.

"Dobe, don't you dare fall out and splatter on the ground. The cleaning staff will never forgive you," he smirked while Naruto pouted at him but it was undermined by the laughter in his blue eyes. The ride clanked forward until it was going up the hill, rising alongside the inhabitants excitement.

"I-I'm a bit n-nervous..." Hinata mumbled, looking at how high they were. Kiba leaned over to peck her on the cheek.

"Don't worry about it! It'll be scary at first but before you know it you'll be screaming with joy because it's so fun!" He reassured, and Hinata smiled happily, nodding.

Sasuke smirked, leaning over towards Naruto. "I personally can't wait to hear what you sound like when you scream." He whispered.

Naruto's face could have melted an iceberg with how heated it became. He smacked Sasuke up the back of the head while the raven chuckled but before any banter could ensue, they reached the top of the ride.

"Holy—"

The rest of Naruto's sentence was turned into a loud scream, followed by several other voices as the ride plummeted downwards. Naruto's hands were in the air as they sped downwards and then spiralled. Sasuke was trying very hard to keep his hands down, but eventually his inner kid won and he was following Naruto's movements as he yelled out. Hinata was shrieking at every turn, but very soon those shrieks were accompanied by her laughter while Kiba cheered. Lee was cheering too, and even the strange girl next to him was making some noise as they twisted and turned.

"THIS! IS! AWESOME!" Naruto roared, drawing out the last word as they entered a spiral. His hand was caught in the air and he felt Sasuke's fingers entwine with his own and smiled. They continued to spiral; the end of the track was coming up soon, and Naruto grinned the whole while.

Suddenly, he felt a strange sensation in his stomach. It was as if something dropped, leaving him with a very empty, very bad feeling that made him open his eyes wide. He felt something move around him, encircle him and time seemed to slow.

His face paled when he saw what looked like a large white snake glaring down at him, hissing fiercely. A shout was tearing out of his throat, but it blended with the screams of joy from the other passengers. He knew that the ride was still moving, knew that this couldn't be happening in more than a few seconds, but it all seemed so slow to him.

And he suddenly became aware of Sasuke's fingers jerking harshly in his own. His heard turned only to see Sasuke doubled over, mouth open in a pained shout and his eyes scrunched closed before once more he turned forward. The white snake was looming closer and Naruto's heart seemed to still.

And then a growl sounded, and Naruto realized it had come from him. But it didn't sound like him at all. It was too..._beastly_. But suddenly the snake was gone in a flash and they were spiralling towards the end of the track, the car slowing down slightly while the people laughed and cheered.

Sasuke straightened up, eyes wide and panting as he turned to look at Naruto, who met his gaze.

Their hands held onto each other tightly as the ride came to a stop and they climbed out. Tearing away from the other three, who called out to them in confusion, the two ran towards the nearest bench. It was sheltered under a large willow and they were out of the way and out of sight for the most part.

Sasuke collapsed onto the bench, dragging Naruto down with him. They held onto each other, trying to regain their breath and their wits as the recent event washed over them with terrifying vividness.

"...W-what was that...?" Naruto breathed, trembling. Sasuke shook his head, his mouth pressing against the skin of Naruto's neck as he breathed in the scent of the blond.

He didn't understand what had just happened and it scared him that Naruto had experienced it too. He had just been enjoying the ride, holding Naruto's hand and laughing along with him when suddenly pain had erupted from his head and his shoulders. The intensity had left him crippled and he'd struggled to breathe. And the hissing...Dear God the hissing of snakes had been thunderous, as if he was standing in an ocean of angry snakes with the sound amplified. He hadn't been able to hear anything but that dreadful hissing and feel that unbearable pain. He had been on the verge of passing out when suddenly, Naruto's hand had squeezed his with crushing force and the hissing had died along with the pain.

Sasuke pulled Naruto closer, the blond pressing against him in response. They knew they needed to go to Kakashi and Itachi and tell them what had just transpired. Whether it had been something from them, or something from the ride itself, it was supernatural and needed to be dealt with.

'_But first things first._' Sasuke thought and grabbed Naruto's face, pulling him in for a brutal kiss. Naruto responded immediately, opening his mouth to Sasuke's silent plea and joining him in a war of tongues. Sasuke pressed forward so hard Naruto ended up on his back on the bench, his arms wrapped around Sasuke's neck as he returned the frantic kisses with equal intensity.

They would have continued had it not been for the sudden shadow falling across them.

Out of an instinct unknown to him, Naruto rolled both Sasuke and himself off the bench and turned to glare at the attackers. He froze when he saw who it was, and his jaw hit the floor.

"No way..." he breathed as Sasuke copied his look of surprise.

* * *

Kiba scratched his chin thoughtfully as he and Hinata wandered through the crowds in search of their two friends. Lee had gone off to tell Kakashi and Itachi about Naruto and Sasuke's odd behaviour. It hadn't been difficult for the three of them to see the looks of pure horror and fright on their friend's faces once they'd gotten off the ride. And all of them knew it had nothing to do with the ride being scary.

Kiba frowned, ruffling his hair in annoyance as he tried to think where they were. Next to him, Hinata had her head down, her hair falling over her face so that she could use her Byakugan to search for the boys without letting anyone see. But there were so many people with so many different spiritual energy signatures, it was near impossible to separate them enough to find Sasuke and Naruto's.

She sighed, about to deactivate her eyes when suddenly she caught sight of a very familiar signature. She gasped, looking up as he eyes shut off.

"What? Did you find them?" Kiba asked, by her side in an instant. She shook her head and pointed through the crowd.

"N-No but look!"

Kiba followed her finger and his eyes widened to match his large grin.

Not too far away in the crowd, they could see Neji walking. Beside him was...

"No way! Is that Gaara?" Kiba asked gleefully. Hinata nodded, a smile on her face as she watched Neji hesitantly take Gaara's hand into his own. "Come on! Let's go say hi!" Kiba declared and darted off, leaving Hinata to follow.

"HEY NEJI!" Kiba cried as he neared the brunet. Neji looked around, spotting him and scowling. He tried to pull his hand away from Gaara, but the red head only squeezed hard enough to make Neji yelp.

"Ouch! Gaara!"

"What?" Gaara asked in his monotone voice, raising a shaved eyebrow. "They know anyway."

Neji frowned but had no choice but to turn and face Kiba and his cousin. "Hello Hinata." He greeted and gave a short nod to Kiba.

"Aw how cold! We hardly see you these days and now here you are at a carnival, on a date no less!" Kiba's grin was feral as he looked between them. "I always thought you two hit it off nicely. But Gaara, we haven't heard from you since the orphanage! How are you?"

"I'm well."

"Still at the orphanage?"

"No, we got adopted."

"Seriously?" Kiba gaped and then grinned. "That's awesome! Do you like them?"

"They're actually very, very old family friends. Our father's best friend, Baki. He left overseas when we were born but came back recently and adopted us when he found us." Gaara shrugged. "Temari had managed to contact him before we even left the old orphanage so we didn't actually stay in the newer one for more than a few days."

Hinata smiled. "T-that's wonderful. A-are your siblings well?"

Gaara nodded.

...Yeah, he nodded, that's all.

"So will we be seeing more of the two of you now?" Kiba asked, looking between Neji and Gaara. Neji sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Well Uncle has given me some time off of training. Apparently I was over working myself," he rolled his eyes at the absurdity of the comment, "So I suppose I'll be seeing you. And Gaara has moved closer to Konoha city, so you'll probably see him around too."

Kiba nodded happily before he finally remembered what they'd been doing. "Oh shit!"

When the others turned to him, he faced Neji. "Neji we could really use your help! We need to find Sasuke and Naruto!"

Gaara's other would-be-eyebrow rose. "Naruto's here?"

"Yeah, he got adopted by Jiraiya and is going to Sasuke's school. They're here on a date thing. But just now we were on a roller coaster and at the end when they got off..." he trailed off, his face turning worried as he recalled the looks on their faces.

Hinata picked up his story. "T-they looked terrified...and n-not because of the ride or anything, since they were laughing before. S-something happened to t-them and scared them. They j-just ran off as soon as t-they were off the ride."

Gaara and Neji exchanged looks showing slight concern and curiosity before they nodded and joined the others as they searched. Hinata and Neji had their Byakugan activated, searching desperately while Gaara and Kiba used their average eyes to search.

Suddenly, Neji stopped and pointed towards a large willow. "Over there!"

Without stopping, the four quickly pushed through the crowd to the tree and were met with a rather interesting sight.

"Well..." Kiba said slowly, looking at the scene. "...That's interesting."

* * *

Naruto didn't waste any time in tackling the grinning idiot standing behind the bench. Whether or not the tackle was done out of anger or joy was still unclear.

"Holy crap it's been ages since I saw you guys!" Naruto called. His hug was returned before he pulled back to grin at the boy before him. "How've you been you psycho?"

Kao grinned, his green eyes gleaming in the light of a nearby lantern. "I've been plotting world domination, scaring small children and eating hamburgers. So," he shrugged, "Nothing out of the ordinary."

Naruto laughed before the clearing of a throat made him look to the right. His grin returned and he jumped over the bench to grab the other boy in a tight hug.

"Kamurou!"

Kamurou smiled, patting Naruto on the head as he was hugged. "Hi Naruto. How are you?" he asked.

Naruto stepped back. "I'm great! Ero-sennin adopted me and we moved here! I'm going to Konoha High School too! Oh! And look!" He reached back and grabbed Sasuke, who had been watching the exchange quietly and pulled him forward. "Sasuke's here!"

Kao and Kamurou's grin's were identical in both glee and wickedness. "Oh, lover-boy is still in the picture?" Kao asked, circling Sasuke like a hawk. "Very interesting."

Kamurou laughed lightly, his turquoise eyes sparkling. "Excuse my brother, he didn't take his medication this morning."

Naruto laughed while Kao simply shrugged. "Guilty as charged," the crimson said smirking.

Sasuke took in the twin's appearances. They hadn't changed dramatically since the last time he saw them, but there were a few. Kao seemed to have grown slightly taller and Kamurou had filled out a bit, his shoulders broader than before. Kao's hair was longer too, the pony tail no longer short and stubbed but rather several long spikes flowing out the back of his head. Kamurou's hair had grown too, the spikes at the back drooping a bit more while his fringe brushed his eyes.

"Hn. I suppose it's good to see you," he greeted, smirking when Kao visibly bristled.

"Hey! You should be jumping for joy at seeing our greatness again!" The older twin declared, puffing out his chest. Kamurou simply rolled his eyes, uncaring.

"Hn. Dogs who bark the loudest are the weakest ones, they say." Sasuke chuckled evilly when Kao's eyes widened before they narrowed to slits.

"So Princess wants some silence does he?" he asked, stepping closer.

Sasuke did not like the new nickname, and his eyes burned with a glare as he too stepped forward. Naruto sighed, stepping back to stand next to Kamurou, who had crossed his arms and was watching with bored interest.

"Three bucks says Kao hits first." Kamurou said softly, and Naruto grinned.

"You're on." He said, thinking of Sasuke's short temper.

By now, Kao was putting a whole new meaning to the term 'personal bubble breach' as he had practically plastered himself to Sasuke, glaring straight into the onyx orbs that glared right back. Had it been anyone else pressing up against the raven, Naruto would probably have had a problem, but as it was he knew Kao had no interest in Sasuke other than the small wish to maybe disembowel him. How did he know this?

It was easy.

Kao only ever put girlish nicknames to the people who grated on his nerves in a bad way. He had called Sora, back in the day, 'Cuddles'. It was mainly inspired by the fact he'd caught Sora cuddling a teddy when they were six. The teddy had belonged to Kamurou, who had told his twin it was missing. Being the ever faithful big brother-15 seconds count, okay?- Kao had searched the entire orphanage to find it and find it he did. Right in the arms of a sleeping Sora with one ear being sucked in the ashen boy's mouth.

Naruto still got shivers remembering the uproar that had happened then. He knew that Kao wasn't the sanest person around, but seriously...there really had been no need for him to hit Sora with a hockey stick until the boy relinquished his hold on the bear.

Naruto tensed slightly, suddenly feeling unhappy for a whole different reason. While he knew Sasuke could take care of himself, he also knew Sasuke had only physically fought against relatively sane people. Kao was unpredictable sometimes, and he hoped to God the crimson wouldn't pull any psychotic moves that would result in an ambulance being called.

That would just be such a downer.

"Back off, Shit-face."

Score to Sasuke.

"Make me, Chicken Shit."

Kao counters back!

"Last warning, Dick-head."

Sasuke resorts to the classics! The battle grows tense!

"Bring it on, Cheese-dick."

LET THE GAMES BEGIN!

Sasuke shoved, growling when Kao grabbed his arms and pulled him along. The two began shoving each other and dragging each other, trying to get the other to fall over. Kamurou nudged Naruto's side and the two headed towards the bench. They sat down, legs crossed and watched the match before them, making a few comments every now and again.

Eventually Sasuke slid behind Kao, wrapping an arm around the boy's neck to restrain him. The green eyed boy growled loudly, grabbing the arm and trying to pry it off. His eyes flashed and Sasuke grunted when he felt an elbow lodge into his stomach. His grip weakened and the next second he was spinning through the air. His legs shot out to catch himself and he found himself suspended, his feet on the floor while his hands gripped the arm wrapped in his jacket, holding his upper body up. Kao was grinning down at him, the look only being described as sadistic.

"Oh dear, I have me a damsel in distress!" he teased, and Naruto stood up, knowing the boy was going to attack for real. Kamurou was also on his feet, moving towards his twin.

Sasuke braced himself for the oncoming hit, his eyes narrowing. He saw the fist heading towards him but before it made contact another voice called out.

"There you are!"

"Whoa holy cheese fuck!" Kao cried out, his fist swerving as he lost his balance at the sudden interruption. Sasuke grunted as he fell to the floor and Kao landed next to him, his green eyes wide as they looked up at the person standing at the entrance.

Naruto noticed Kamurou had also stiffened, eyes widening slightly and he turned, blinking at the newcomer.

A woman stood with her arms folded across her chest, hazel green eyes taking in the two boys on the floor with a kind of detached interest. Her hair was a pale blonde with long bangs in the front and cut short in the back. But the thing that caught Naruto's attention the most was the orange sweater she was wearing with a large number stitched in dark purple on the front. He squinted, trying to make out the number and saw it was '99'.

Kamurou stepped forwards, smiling sheepishly. "He he...Hi mom." He greeted, waving lightly.

Naruto gaped at him, turning to look between him and the newcomer. His hand raised, finger pointing at the woman. "...She's your mom?...You guys have a mom?" he asked stupidly.

Kamurou nodded, smiling. "She kind of adopted us."

"Kind of?"

"Foster care."

"Oh..." Naruto trailed off, looking at the woman. "...Yet you call her mom?"

"Her request."

This caused two blonde eyebrows to rise, one in confusion, the other in embarrassed annoyance.

"I swear, I turn my back on you boys for a second and you're off causing mayhem somewhere." The woman said, stepping forward towards Kao. He grinned up at her, sheepishly, from his spot on the floor. She rolled her eyes and reached down, grabbing the front of his shirt and tugging him up. Sasuke felt a tug on his own jacket and realized she was urging him to his feet too.

He climbed up slowly, and stood stock still as she started to brush the dust off his jacket while doing the same to Kao.

Naruto stood by, watching the interaction with curiosity. He noticed how Sasuke had stiffened immensely under the 'motherly' action and hoped the raven was alright.

The blonde woman finished dusting them off, muttering all the while about 'annoying boys' as she worked. When she stepped back, one hand was still firmly clenched on Kao's shoulder as if to keep him from running away. She flicked her wrist in Naruto's direction, leaving the blond boy to wonder if she had a twitch. However he soon realized it was a signal consider the fact that Kamurou practically jumped over to her, standing next to her while she gripped his shoulder.

"I'm sorry for any rough housing my 'sons' have undoubtedly instigated," her hands squeezed and Naruto saw the twins twitch, their grin's becoming a bit more forceful. "But, I'm afraid we must be going now."

Sasuke moved to stand next to Naruto, his hand reaching out to clasp its tan counterpart. He noticed the woman's eyes flicker to their joined limbs and felt apprehensive when her eyes seemed to gleam.

Kao looked up at her. "But Ma, we haven't seen Naruto in ages!"

"Naruto?" She looked towards the blond boy, nodding. "You're Uzumaki Naruto, from the orphanage?"

"Yes miss." Naruto answered, unsure how to act. He'd never seen the twins' so..._docile_. It was weird to see them sit tight like two puppies on a leash. However, now that he thought about it, he'd never seen them looking quite so happy. He guessed it must be because they now had a 'mother'. A smile worked its way onto his face before he could stop it, and he was surprised when the lady returned it with one of her own.

"Well, it's nice to meet you Naruto-kun." Her eyes drifted down to the twins' and she squeezed their shoulders again before letting go. "I'll give you boys a few minutes to say a proper and," she glared down at Kao, "non-violent goodbye to your friends."

She stepped back, crossing her arms and waiting patiently. Kamurou stepped forward, holding his fist up.

"Well we'll see you guys around!" he said, and Naruto stepped forward to bump fists with the boy. He turned to Sasuke and smirked before holding out his hand for a good old fashioned handshake. Sasuke returned the smirk and the gesture.

"Hn."

"My, you're so articulate." Kao drawled, stepping forward. However the anger was gone from his face and replaced with humour. He held his arms up towards Naruto, waving his hands inwards for a hug. "Come on Blondie, you know you want to!"

Naruto laughed, stepping forward for a brief, manly hug.

Yeah, Kao giggled.

"And you too Princess! See you around!" Kao stepped forward and grabbed Sasuke into a crushing hug before the raven could protest.

There came a surprised hum from somewhere to the left.

"Well...this is interesting."

* * *

Sasuke groaned as his head hit his pillow. The entire evening had been chaotic from the roller coaster an onwards. After Gaara and Neji showed up, Naruto and the twins had almost given birth to a cow in their sudden excitement. He was surprised Gaara hadn't suffocated under the hugs Naruto and that psycho bastard Kao were bestowing upon him.

Huffing, he rolled over onto his back and stared at the dark ceiling presented to him. It had been a blur of hugs and hello's and goodbye's and chatter he could hardly make out one conversation from the next. However, he could vividly recall-with sadistic glee- the moment when the twin's new 'mother' had punished and made Kao apologise for a very rude comment towards Sasuke.

The woman had heard the words, taken a breath and the next thing anyone knew, Kao was holding his ass, a look of pain on his face as he gasped out an 'I'm sorry, Uchiha-kun! Sorry Ma!'

Honestly, he hadn't even seen her hand move but the result was most enjoyed.

After a few more conversations, the twins and their mother, who had insisted people just call her 'J' for some odd reason, had left. Neji and Gaara had headed out to finish their date while Sasuke, Naruto, Kiba and Hinata had returned to the others. Both Kiba and Hinata had inquired about their sudden departure from the roller coaster, and it brought back the memories of what had happened.

Sasuke shivered, sitting up in the darkness of his room. He'd told Kiba to drop it, which had taken a few minutes to happen. Naruto had been so pale when they brought it up, and Sasuke knew that just the memory had freaked him out.

Whatever had happened had been bad, yet Sasuke wasn't sure how he knew that. Of course pain was never a good thing, but from what he knew Naruto hadn't experienced pain, and he wasn't a wimp. But instinctively he knew that it had been something to be feared, and it seemed Naruto knew it too.

Sasuke pushed himself off the bed, his bare feet hardly making any sound as he trudged out of his room. The apartment was quiet around him and he hugged his arms as he padded through the hall.

Reaching the door, he hesitated. He didn't want to admit it to himself, and definitely didn't want to admit it to his older brother.

But there was no way he could deny it.

He was scared.

He could almost feel something bad was going to happen and it was making him nervous beyond belief. He worried for his brother, for Naruto, for all his friends. What was coming? How could he protect them? Who was he trying to protect them from?

So many questions swirled in his mind with no answers, and it terrified him to feel this oncoming storm and have no way to prepare for it.

Finally, the darkness around him became too much, and he opened the door and slipped inside his brother's room. With quick steps he darted to the bed and climbed in. There was a sleepy snort from Itachi before the older raven turned over, rubbing his eyes.

"Sasuke? What's-..." Itachi's voice caught in his throat when he caught sight of his baby brother's face. Immediately he was pulling the younger boy towards him, wrapping him in a blanket and a hug and making hushing sounds to soothe him. "It's alright, Sasuke, I'm here." He cooed softly.

Itachi felt the trembles of the boy in his arms and had to bite his lip to stop any questions. He hadn't seen Sasuke like this in ages. The look on the boy's face had been one of pure terror and it _hurt_ to see that look.

Itachi felt useless as he held his shivering brother and he could only pray that whatever Sasuke was suffering from would be mercilessly destroyed and quickly.

* * *

Jiraiya yawned widely as he jotted down a note in his notebook. It was nearing one in the morning and he was contemplating going to bed really. He'd had a rather boring day of working, cleaning, and getting slapped across the face by the busty cashier in the grocery store. Snickering lightly at the memory of his comment that had ear him the slap- "Can I see your melons? I like mine organic."- He stretched and was about to stand up when he caught the sound of shuffling steps. Pausing, he looked towards the hallway entrance and blinked at seeing Naruto standing half in shadow.

"Naruto?"

The blond seemed to withdraw at the sound of his voice before peeking forward again. Jiraiya narrowed his eyes slightly at the behaviour. He'd seen it in the blond before when he was a tiny little boy, and the reason was never a good one. Donning a soft expression, he leant back in his seat .

"Hey champ, what's wrong?" he asked softly.

Naruto shuffled forward again, and Jiraiya's eyes widened at the look in those normally cheerful blue eyes.

Within moments his arms were spread out in welcome and Naruto was climbing onto his lap, burying his face in Jiriaya's chest as the man hugged him and patted his head gently.

"Ssshhh...It's alright, kid, it's okay." Jiraiya hushed and tightened his hold when Naruto began shivering. He had noticed when Naruto came home that something had been off, but he had assumed that it was just Naruto being sad after saying goodbye to Sasuke.

But this was definitely caused by something more.

Naruto had looked terrified and lost, and his eyes were glassy with fear and unshed tears.

Jiraiya had only seen that level of fear on Naruto's face once, and that had been when he'd pulled the frightened two year old from the bloody arms of his dead parents.

"It's going to be okay, Naru."

Jiraiya prayed to God that it was true.

* * *

**...**

**So it begins... *ominous organ music in the background* **

**XD How did you like it? Hope the 'surprise' was satsifactory...GAARA returns along with THE TWINS! And on that note I have an important question...ahem...**

**Would you like to see more of the Twins or not? (I know some people really dislike having O.c's constantly popping up in stories while others enjoy their added bonuses...so I'll let majority vote choose.) Just let me know in a review! (Oh yeah...)**

**Not sure when I'll have the next chapter ready, but just know that the Carnival isn't over yet! There's still some things left for me to play with in that setting. Muahahha...**

**Hope everyone is well!**

**Review please!  
**


	13. Reflections

**UWA-AH-AH-AH! **

**Get up, come on get DOWN WITH THE SICKNESS! XD**

**Well, that was the song I listened to while trying to finish off this chapter. I was really forcing myself near the end to finish it up so that I could update...if you think the end of this chapter wasn't all that good, tell me and I'll rewrite it. *sigh* but hopefully it's still tense and enticing.**

**I'm so sorry it took 30 days to update this story! A whole month! FUCK! :'C so long!**

**But it's here now! And things are finally heading forwards. And I mean like, porperly!**

**Sorry for grammar and spelling errors, all my work is beta-d by me, so...yeah. Not very good. XD**

**On with the next chapter!  
**

* * *

**Reflections**

When Sasuke woke up, the first thing he could remember was the nightmare he'd been having. Much like his past nightmares, he was in a strange place crowded with snakes. But this time something had been different. And he wasn't sure what to think of it.

_The snakes were wrapping around his ankles, hissing fiercely as he struggled against their hold. Looking out, all he could truly see was a colourful ocean of slithering bodies, churning. Several black figures were amongst the snakes, both getting devoured by them as well as fighting them. It was chaotic, and the thunderous hissing was driving him mad._

_However, his attention was pulled to the other side of the vast chamber-like room. Amidst a crowd of writhing black figures and snakes, Naruto was standing with a blank look on his face._

"_Naruto! Naruto!" Sasuke called his name over and over, trying to get a response even as he thrashed away from the snakes and waded through the writhing sea. After a long moment of struggling, Naruto suddenly blinked and looked directly at Sasuke with wide, fear-filled eyes._

"_Sasuke! Help me!"_

_Sasuke screamed out as a giant, snow white snake loomed over the blond, its jaw slipping open wide and its eyes gleaming before it ducked and Naruto vanished into its throat._

"_NARUTO!"_

_There was an explosion and the white snake was engulfed in flames. Sasuke caught a brief glimpse of Naruto, standing amidst the flames. His face was blank and his normally cheery blue eyes were blood red._

Sasuke had woken up at that point, breathing heavily and wondering what was happening to him and his beloved blond. Something wasn't right but he just didn't know what it was or how to fix it.

He heard noises in the kitchen, and the smell of bacon wafted into the room. He took a deep breath, calming himself with the reality of the world, that he was awake and there were no snakes and Naruto was not in danger.

Sitting up, he rubbed at his head and yawned. He decided that he would try to relax and enjoy today. They were still going to the carnival, and Naruto was going to come with again. He would make sure they got to enjoy the festivities of the carnival today before their chance slipped up.

After that, he would talk to Kakashi and Itachi and they would sort this...thing...out once and for all.

He nodded to himself, accepting this plan.

"_So foolish."_

Pain shot up from his shoulder and he doubled over, clutching at the skin. His head spun and he felt he was going to be sick as a compressing blackness seemed to engulf him.

"Sasuke, what's wrong?"

Sasuke looked up, blinking rapidly.

He was standing in the kitchen doorway. Itachi was at the stove, looking over at him curiously. The younger Uchiha took a breath, staring around.

'_When...did I get here?_' he thought nervously. He'd been sitting on the bed a second ago, in pain and now he was in the kitchen? How?

"Sasuke are you alright? You've been standing there for five minutes staring at me." Itachi said, concern creeping into his voice.

Sasuke gaped. '_Five minutes? But...But I don't remember it!_'

"I...I'm..."

"_Fine. I'm fine."_

Sasuke's eyes widened slightly as the words left his mouth. Had he meant to say that? Why did it feel like he was forced to say those words?

"Okay if you're sure. Anyway after breakfast get ready. We'll pick Naruto up on the way to the carnival since Kisame is going to drive us this time." Itachi said, turning back to the stove. He listened as Sasuke slowly ambled towards the table and frowned. His little brother was acting strange, and it concerned him. Sasuke had looked lost the moment he'd called his name.

Sasuke, for his part, was sitting at the table and thinking hard.

'_Something...is very wrong here._'

* * *

Naruto whined slightly when light washed over his face. He screwed his eyes in an attempt to make it go away and burrowed into the warmth around him.

"Hey kid, time to get up. Breakfast is ready."

Moaning at being pulled from his slumber, Naruto peeked open a blue eye. The eye soon widened while the other opened to match it. Jiraiya stood beside the bed, holding a tray which was holding a very large, steaming bowl of...

"RAMEN!" Naruto cheered, thrashing in his attempt to sit up. Jiraiya chuckled and placed the tray on the blonds' lap, watching with a fond smile as the boy proceeded to slurp up the noodles with a relish.

"So Naruto..." Jiraiya sat down beside his son and folded his arms. "What happened yesterday that scared you so badly, you had to sleep in my bed to avoid nightmares?"

Naruto stilled next to him, his eyes sliding to half mast as memories of the previous evening's events returned to him. His hand lowered, the chopsticks clinking against the bowl. He lowered his head slightly, pressing his lips together tightly.

"... I don't even really know what happened. We were on the rollercoaster and then, near the end..," his eyes widened at the memory, "It was like time slowed and I just saw...I don't really know for sure but it looked like a great white snake...it was glaring right at me and Sasuke was...he was in pain beside me, screaming. And then I just...I don't know. It just ended."

Jiraiya leant back, his eyebrows drawing together. "...Is Sasuke okay?"

Naruto shrugged. "He was freaked out too...neither of us know what happened. But I don't think he was in any more pain afterwards."

Jiraiya nodded and opened his mouth to ask another question, but the phone rang before he could. Sighing, he got up and left the room to answer it. Naruto could hear him clearly from the open door.

"Hello, Jiraiya speaking."

Silence.

"...Oh it's you! Wait, how did you get this number?"

A pause...

"You looked it up in the phonebook didn't you?"

Faint laughter.

"Wait, you got it from where?"

Another pause.

"...I want to meet her; I think we could become very good friends indeed!"

More laughter.

Naruto tilted his head in thought, wondering who Jiraiya was talking to. Judging by the way he talked, it was someone he knew well.

"Oh? I see. Yes, I'm sure he'd love that. Just don't kill his boyfriend, he's kind of important to him."

Naruto blinked, wondering what that was about. Suddenly, Jiraiya stuck his head in, holding the phone up.

"Naruto, it's the Twins. They said—" there was a muffled yell from the phone and Jiraiya chuckled, "Okay, the demand that you and Sasuke pick them up from their place so that they can go to the carnival with you. Apparently, they aren't allowed to go by themselves because their mother is convinced they'll do something stupid. Not that I can blame the woman...Would that be okay though?"

Naruto grinned, already feeling more excited. "Yeah! That'd be awesome! I'll call Sasuke and tell him, so just make sure you have the address for me."

Jiraiya nodded and returned the phone to his ear, talking a bit more while Naruto scrambled to his room for his cell phone in order to call his boyfriend and let him know. When he heard Sasuke's voice answer, something in his chest seemed to clench horribly, and he froze, wondering what the feeling was. Before he could think on it, however, Sasuke's voice was speaking again.

"Hello? Naruto?"

The feeling vanished, and Naruto shook his head to rid himself of the oddity before grinning.

"Yo Sasuke! There's a little stop we have to make before going to the carnival..."

* * *

"Why do they have to come?" Sasuke grumbled for what had to be the tenth time in a row as the car pulled up outside a small flat. Naruto grinned, patting the pouting raven on the head.

"Because they're our friends, and I haven't seen them in ages, and we're all going to have lots of fun at the fair together!"

"Hn...I still don't see why they have to come..." Sasuke mumbled darkly as Naruto dragged him from the car to collect their 'guests'.

They walked up to the front door, where Naruto proceeded to rape the doorbell repeatedly while Sasuke stood by with his own personal thunder cloud.

After the millionth or so ring, the door was thrown open.

"WHAT?.!"

Naruto jumped back in fright, landing in Sasuke's arms, as the blond woman from the previous night glared out. She was wearing a baggy, pale orange shirt and her hair was ruffled, sticking out oddly in some places. Her eyes were even more lidded than before, and she had the complete air of someone that had just been rudely awakened.

"Uh, hi! We're here to pick up the twins," Naruto said weakly, waving. Sasuke just stared blankly.

The woman frowned, looking as though she was thinking very hard. A snort came from behind her before Kao slipped out.

"Don't hurt yourself ma," he teased. The blonde scowled, smacking him across the head. Kamurou ducked under the space her moved arm had created and stood beside his twin.

"We'll be back later. And we do have our phones so we can be contacted. If we don't answer the first time, it might be because we didn't hear it, so don't panic. We'll make sure to eat real food and not just junk, we'll be careful not to injure ourselves, and I'll try my best to make sure Kao doesn't hurt someone." Kamurou had listed each thing off his finger, stopping his 'mother' from saying a word every time she opened her mouth.

She sighed once he was done and ruffled his hair. "Okay. Good boy. Have fun and be safe. If you need me to pick you up, just call. I'll be writing all day, so you know I'll be available." She leant out, kissing them each on their heads. She paused at Kao, sending him a look that made him cringe. "And you had better behave. Act like your brother, and be civil, and don't start fighting over stupid things. I'm putting Kamurou in charge." She gave Kao a pat on the head before turning and slamming the door.

Kamurou smirked at his brother, who was still cradling his own head. "And that, my dear brother, is why I always get the extra bowl of Choco-pops," he stated smugly.

"Oh jog on," Kao groaned before turning to face the other two. His grin returned as he trotted up to Naruto and Sasuke, before he spoke with a very much put-on posh accent. "Ah, my good Naruto! You're looking devastatingly terrified this morning. Good, good..." his eyes roamed to Sasuke, "Ah, and dear Princess is here too! I must say, you look rather dashing in that dress."

Sasuke growled, pulling his long jacket tighter around himself. He was sorely tempted to hit the jackass for the comment, but Naruto was already ushering them all back to the car.

"We are going to have fun today! No questions!"

"Righty ho, old chap."

"Kao, knock it off. You sound like Stewie Griffin."

"Stewie is my idol!"

"You've got some serious issues dude..."

The ride to the fair was filled with chatter amongst Naruto and the twins. Sasuke had his arms wrapped firmly around the blond's waist, and he sent a glare to Kao every time the older twin made a comment.

"Seriously, he's like a needy, whiny, duck-haired leech," Kao told Naruto as if the leech in question wasn't even there. "I don't understand how you put up with it."

Sasuke growled before smirking coldly. "Probably the same way Kamurou puts up with you," he said.

Kamurou started to laugh into his hand, his eyes scrunching in mirth while Kao and Sasuke resumed a heated glaring contest with poor Naruto stuck in the middle.

In the front seat, Itachi smirked at the chatting in the back, and shared a look a sadistic amusement with Kisame.

After a long and torturous drive -in Sasuke's opinion anyway- they arrived at the fair, immediately seeing Kakashi and the rest of the crew waiting for them.

"Wow, he's actually on time today." Kisame said, amazement seeping into his voice. Itachi grunted his agreement as they climbed out of the car.

Sasuke pulled Naruto out, keeping his arms around the blond's middle. The twins climbed out after them, and stood a bit off to the side, talking quietly amongst themselves.

"Well everyone, let's go. We've got two tag-a-longs with us today." Kisame motioned the twins, and the rest of the crew finally took notice of them. There were sounds of surprise, greetings and hugs for some- Lee was too enthusiastic sometimes- before the group slowly made their way into the area.

Ino and Sakura immediately walked off, accompanied by Lee this time as they were going to play some carnival games. Chouji and Shikamaru found a lovely little food stand that had comfortable benches. It was easy to say where they'd be spending their day.

Kisame dragged Itachi way to look at a few games despite the older Uchiha's arguing. Kakashi noticed a book stand and was soon burying his nose into a copy of Icha Icha Tactics, giggling like a freak and scaring a few passers by.

Slowly, the group split up more and more, and Sasuke took the opportunity to drag Naruto away.

"Where're me going first Sasuke?" Naruto asked eagerly, letting his arm hang over Sasuke's shoulder. Sasuke looked around, seeing a few rides and stands. Finally, one ride caught his eye and he smirked, heading towards it and forcing Naruto to follow.

The blond caught sight of the name and struggled against his grip. "No way! No freakin' way Sasuke!"

"C'mon!"

"No! I'm not going in there!"

"It'll be fun."

"No it'll be freaky."

"Naruto, you've seen real life ghosts and demons. I hardly believe you could be scared in a cheesy haunted house in a carnival," Sasuke reasoned, smirking at the blond as they stood in the line. Naruto frowned, not at all liking this. But then again the teme had a point. He had seen worse. Hell, he'd kind of fought against worse. Surely he could handle a haunted house in a fair? After all, they were all so clichéd in their tricks...right?

"Fine," he sighed, slumping against Sasuke. The raven grinned, pecking him on the cheek as they entered the house.

"Don't worry, dobe, I'll be right beside you." Sasuke smirked, his hand sliding along to rest on the curve of Naruto's ass. The blond snorted.

"Teme, I think the only thing I truly have to fear in this place is you," he joked and Sasuke snickered as they walked deeper into the house.

Sure enough, the tricks were all cliché and cheesy. Plastic skeletons hanging in some areas, a large fluffy spider dangling here and there, and a few cabinet doors that sprung open to show sheet wearing ghosts.

All the typical tricks one would find in a haunted house at a fair.

And Naruto was clinging to Sasuke, his face buried in the raven's shoulder as Sasuke guided them through the place, a grin curving his lips the entire time.

"Come on Naruto, look! It's so obviously fake."

"Shut up! Let's just get out of here already!"

Sasuke laughed, rubbing the shaking blond on the back as they found the exit. Once outside, Naruto smacked Sasuke repeatedly, reminding him over and over how much of a bastard he was and questioning his decision to date the raven.

Sasuke promptly reminded him why with a little help from his hands, his tongue and a nifty bowl of ramen from a nearby stand.

After that they made their way to a few of the game stands, and Sasuke almost lost his cool when he couldn't knock down the damn bottles in three goes. Of course, Naruto just laughed before taking his own turn, smirking and claiming it'd be a cinch for him.

In the end, the store owner had to ask them to leave because they were taking up space since they kept retrying. Sasuke had to admit that after Naruto's fiftieth try, it might have gotten a bit much.

"I swear to God those bottles are super-glued there!" Naruto exclaimed and Sasuke had to agree with him. They were passing by a stand with many glass cages on display when a sound caught Sasuke's interest and he turned. Most of the cages were filled with different types of insects and creatures, but there was a display with reptiles. Sasuke's eyes zoned in on a purple and black snake, coiling and uncoiling in its cage and hissing at everything it saw.

"Oh cool! Look at those!" Naruto said, moving towards the exhibit and looking at a pair of iguanas that were creeping over each other.

Sasuke, however, found himself leaning close to the snake's cage, his eyes boring into the bright yellow irises of the reptile. It stared back, its tongue flickering out towards him.

"Careful there kid, that thing is pretty dang poisonous." The store owner said, scratching his beard and looking at the snake. "Damn thing gives me trouble more often than not."

Sasuke glanced at the man, his eyes cold before they returned to the snake.

It hadn't hissed at him yet, instead sliding towards the glass and pressing up against it, its eyes trained on him. He raised his hand, running a finger along the glass and watching the way the snake's tongue flickered at the spot, as if trying to reach him.

Sasuke felt something in his head screaming at him to back away, to turn and never look back. But another voice, a stronger one, was telling him to stay, to watch...to touch.

"SASUKE!"

Sasuke blinked, suddenly finding himself amidst a crowd and chaos. The cage with the snake lay shattered at his feet, and the purple coils of the creature were now wrapped around his neck while the thing slithered over his head. Naruto was standing nearby, a look of absolute horror on his face as he watched the poisonous reptile slither over Sasuke's body. The show owner was urging people back and reaching for his catching tools to get the snake away.

"Don't move kid, whatever you do!" the man said urgently, and Sasuke just glanced his way as confirmation.

He stayed still, like the man said, feeling the snake slither over his skin like a cool stream of living water. His eyes darted up to watch it as the snake's head bent around to stare at him. One he saw the yellow eyes, it began to hiss fiercely, its jaw gaping open to reveal dripping fangs.

"Oh God...Sasuke!" Naruto called, his voice trembling as he tried to get closer but the store owner pushed him back.

"It's not safe kid!"

"He's in danger!"

"I'll handle it, just give me space!"

Sasuke was deaf to the argument, his eyes trained on the hissing creature. His heart was beating rapidly as it leant further and further away.

Suddenly, his head burst in pain as the snake suddenly dove forwards, the crowd around him screaming in fear.

But before he knew what was happening, his arm was moving and his fingers closed around the snake's neck, pulling it away from him. It hissed in his hold, now squirming and writhing in fear as it tried to turn its head but was unable to. Sasuke stared at the thing, seeing it through a haze. He watched as his hand squeezed tighter, the snake's hisses becoming louder and more frantic.

Suddenly a loop was around the snake's neck and it was pulled from his grasp by the shopkeeper, who quickly stuffed it back into a cage and bolted it shut.

The crowd heaved sighs of relief while Naruto ran up to Sasuke, pulling him close.

"Fuck teme, I was worried!" he breathed, pressing closer to Sasuke. The raven simply wrapped his arms lazily around the blond's waist, his eyes coolly observing the hissing snake.

"...Hn."

Naruto pulled away, blinking at Sasuke's strange demeanour, but before he could question anymore, there was a call from the side.

"Hey! Naruto! Sasuke-kun!"

Both boys turned to see Kamurou running towards them, his face tight. The red head came to a stop before them, panting slightly. "H-have you seen my brother? We got separated in a crowd!"

Naruto frowned, shaking his head. "We haven't seen him since we split up with you guys. Where were you heading?"

"We were near the House of Mirrors when the crowd got hectic."

"Maybe he went inside? It sounds like a place Kao would enjoy." Sasuke suggested calmly.

Kamurou hummed, not looking too convinced. "Well, I could try...but could you help me look for him? That place is huge and confusing!"

Naruto nodded eagerly, already pulling Sasuke's hand. "Sure thing! We don't want him getting up to mischief now do we?" he grinned as they made their way through the crowds. Kamurou nodded, laughing a bit nervously.

"Definitely not..."

Sasuke walked along behind them, his hand in Naruto's and the other hanging limply at his side. His body felt detached, somehow, as if he was in the passenger seat and only occasionally tapping the steering wheel to keep from going off track. He was filled with a strange sense of calm and tranquillity.

It was incredible. The feeling filled every inch of his being, and it was like he was floating on clouds. If he didn't know better, he'd say he was on drugs of some kind with this feeling.

He wasn't sure what had started it, but he found it hard to care. The feeling was amazing; he didn't want it to go away.

Finally, they arrived outside the House of Mirrors. Kamurou and Naruto agreed that it would be best to split up, and Sasuke numbly agreed, still lost in the sensation running through his veins.

Slowly, they entered the building and split up at the first junction they found.

"We'll meet up outside again in an hour, okay?" Naruto called, and the other two agreed.

Sasuke turned towards his path and slowly took the first step.

The feeling increased more and more as he moved further and further into the hallway, the sounds of the festival fading as he entered deeper into the building. It was a strange thing, walking in a narrow hall, surrounded by millions of reflections of himself, from all sides. He looked up, seeing himself, he looked side to side and behind.

Everywhere he looked, he saw himself again and again.

It was dizzying, confusing...

It was awesome.

He continued his dreamy walk, absently gazing around.

'_Why am I here?...had to find someone...who was it?'_ his thoughts were muddled as he continued on his way, that incredible sensation increasing more and more until he was gasping, leaning his head against the cool surface of a mirrored wall.

"Holy fuck..."

'_What is this feeling?_' he wondered as his vision blurred and faded.

The last thing he saw before he was lost in bliss of the feeling was a pair of yellow eyes staring out at him from the mirror.

* * *

"Fuck me sideways, Margaret!" Kao huffed, looking all around him and seeing nothing but himself over and over. He hadn't meant to go into the House of Mirrors, but the damn crowd had practically forced him in. He hated the fact that he'd lost his twin, and his mood had only deteriorated more and more when he ended up getting lost in the damn place.

"When I find those dirt bags that knocked me into here, I'm going to kill them slowly," he vowed, nodding to himself in satisfaction with his plan.

He decided to try going right and took a step forward when his eyes caught sight of a reflection that didn't belong to him. It was small; so far away he couldn't see the person clearly other than that they had black hair.

"Huh? Is that..." he grinned, spinning around and looking down the hall he'd come from, "Princess! Is that you?" he called delightedly, seeing more of the tiny reflections. He began to jog towards the other person at the end of the hall, laughing to himself. "Well damn, this is embarrassing. Of all the people to come to my rescue, it has to be..." he trailed off, his smile dropping when he reached the end of the hall. He reached out, touching the glass of a mirror.

The person's reflection was still there. Kao frowned, looking back over his shoulder. He was in a single hallway, even if there were mirrors everywhere else. Feeling more than a little confused, the red head turned back to the mirror.

"FUCK!" he stumbled back at seeing the reflection was now as large as he was. His foot caught on something, and he started to fall backwards. "Oh...DAMMIT!" he quickly twisted around and caught himself with his hands, kicking his feet out to regain balance and straightening up. When he spun back again, the reflection was gone.

His green eyes narrowed and a snarl curved his lips. "Okay, very fucking funny," he snapped, not at all pleased. "You know it's common-fricken-_courtesy_ to put a warning at the entrance about booby traps and gags!" he yelled to no one in particular.

Huffing at how easily he'd been fooled, he dug his hands deep into his pockets and turned around.

Pain erupted in his head as he found himself slammed against the wall, the mirror cracking under the force. Something was wrapped around his throat, and he choked and coughed, his eyes screwed shut in pain. He barely had a second to realize he was being attacked before he felt himself sliding upwards, his feet dangling above the ground.

Gasping, he tried to open his eyes only to see a black silhouette. Whoever was attacking him was holding him right in front of a light, hiding their own face from view. He growled, hands reaching for the restriction around his throat.

"The...fuck...?.!" he ground out, struggling against the hold.

The figure shifted slightly, their head moving to the side and allowing a beam of light to illuminate one side of their face and one of their bright, gleaming eyes.

Kao froze, his eyes growing impossibly wide as all the blood drained from his face.

"N-No...N-Not possible..." he stammered weakly, his already restricted breathing coming out in high pitched gasps. "N-No Way! F-Fuck! Let me go!" He kicked harder than before, hands scratching and clawing at the restriction. "Y-You..." his vision was starting to darken as his oxygen supplies left him. His kicking slowed down gradually while his arms started to drop weakly. His eyes dulled as his consciousness faded slowly.

Right before he completely went under, the figure dropped him and he crumpled to the ground in a heap. Struggling, he glared at the standing shadow, his eyes dimming more and more.

"Y-You...k-killed her..." he whispered weakly. "I r-remember..._you_..." the word was laced with venom and his lips pulled back into a weak, but cruel snarl. "This isn't...over... You'll p-pay for what...you did to her...and for whatever you're doing...to him..."

His eyes closed and his body slumped completely.

The figure stared down at him, yellow eyes shining coldly before they placed their hands in their pockets and began to walk away, and a soft hiss all that was left as a reply to the red head's warning.

* * *

Naruto sighed as he walked outside the House of Mirrors. He'd searched wherever he could make sense of inside that place, but with no luck. Beside him, Sasuke was leaning against a railing, looking blankly ahead. He had been a bit off since he came out a few minutes earlier. When Naruto had asked him if he had any luck, Sasuke had only shaken his head.

"I didn't really pay that much...attention. But I didn't see him."

Naruto had shrugged it off and they were now waiting for Kamurou to join them.

The blond walked over to the railing and leant beside Sasuke, nudging him with his arm.

"Are you sure you're okay S'uke? You've been acting kind of Space Cadet since that snake thing."

Sasuke sighed, rubbing his face with his hands. "I don't know...I felt so weird after that. Now that feeling is gone and I'm just not sure what it was. It's confusing," he admitted, rubbing his neck. Naruto hummed, leaning against him.

"Maybe it was like, delayed shock or something? You were surprised by the snake attack, so it affected you after a while?" he suggested, rubbing Sasuke's arm. The raven hummed thoughtfully, still trying to shake off the remnants of the strange feeling.

Truth be told, Sasuke couldn't remember too much of his time in the House of Mirrors. He remembered stumbling at one point and leaning against the mirror...then he remembered walking down a hall, looking for Kao. In the end, he remembered reaching the front doors without seeing a sign of the red head.

He was concerned about the blank bits in between however, especially when his eyes began itching and his stomach began clenching horribly.

"...Dobe..." he said slowly, straightening his back. "...Something's wrong."

Naruto tensed at the warning, his eyes widening.

"What do you me—"

A scream sounded somewhere in the House of Mirrors, and people everywhere jolted and turned towards the building. Staff members were rushing in, and Naruto clutched Sasuke arms in a death grip, his face going pale as he saw two medics run in.

"Sasuke..." he breathed, fear etched into his tone.

Sasuke took a shuddering breath as the two medics came rushing out again, carrying a limp body between them and being tailed by a hysterical red head.

"Oh God...Kamurou!" Naruto made to move forward, but Sasuke wrapped his arms around him, holding him close.

"Don't! Naruto, you'll only stress yourself out." He mumbled, holding the blond tightly as he struggled.

"Stress myself...Fuck that, Sasuke! They're my friends! They need me!" Naruto snapped, pushing out of his arms and running towards the twin.

Sasuke panted from the struggle, watching as Naruto stopped beside the group, looking down at Kao before jerking backwards and enveloping Kamurou into a hug as the younger twin panicked and fret. The raven felt something in his chest claw horribly as he saw the distraught look on Kamurou's face. Slowly, he pushed himself away from the railing and walked over.

"Ssshhhhh..." Naruto was hushing, running his hands through Kamurou's hair as the boy continued to twitch and fret, his turquoise eyes panicked and continually darting to his twin.

Sasuke swallowed and stopped beside the medics, looking down.

Kao was laying unconscious, horrible purple bruises around his neck and blood dripping from a wound in the back of his head. The medics had a first aid kit opened and were currently attending to the bleeding wound.

"It's rather shallow. One wrapping should make it stop." One of them informed, sending a reassuring glance to the panicking twin. "He'll be fine, but he should be taken to the hospital for safety."

Naruto began to murmur comforts to Kamurou as he slowly calmed down enough to shakily pull out his phone.

"I-I've got to call Ma..." he mumbled, pressing the speed dial and waiting anxiously.

Sasuke continued to stare down at the unconscious twin, feeling warning bells go off in his mind.

He crouched down, looking intently at the pale face and observed the marks around his neck. It was obviously made by hands, since the bruises were widespread and thick. He glanced up at the closest medic.

"What happened?" he asked softly. The medic glanced to Kamurou, who was pacing and waiting for the phone to be picked up, before turning his attention back to Sasuke and Kao.

"His brother over there found him in one of the hallways. A mirror was smashed beside him and he was bleeding and unconscious. It's obvious he was attacked by someone, these wounds can't be self inflicted. But luckily it seems whoever it was backed off before doing anything permanent. He'll probably be out for a couple more hours, but he'll be fine."

Sasuke nodded, balancing himself carefully as he leant over the sleeping boy, making sure not to get in the medic's way.

"...Could you open his eyes?" he asked. The medic sent him a questioning look. "I want to check something."

The medic frowned, but gently opened one of Kao's eyelids, revealing the unseeing green orb.

Immediately, Sasuke focused on his own eyes until they burned, and he stared down with swirling red and black irises at the blank green eye.

Once more, the vortex affect appeared in his line of sight as he was sucked, mentally, into a vision.

* * *

Sasuke crossed his arms, leaning against the mirrored wall as he watched the scene before him through a black and white, fuzzy image. By now he was used to the age old movie like quality of the surroundings when he was lost in a vision, and was used to it. Kao was walking around, grumbling and complaining about having gotten lost.

Sasuke kept a close eye on him, wanting to see who had attacked him. While he didn't much care for the red head, Naruto did. And Naruto was now upset because Kao was hurt.

Therefore, whoever hurt Kao had to be punished somehow.

For Naruto's sake.

"_My my, what a noble thing to believe."_

Sasuke jumped a foot, spinning around wildly and seeing none other than Orochimaru standing nearby, also leaning against the wall. His eyes were trained on the boy walking through the mirrored hallways, grouching.

"You!" Sasuke snarled, clenching his fists. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

Orochimaru barely glanced at him; too busy staring at Kao to bother. "_Foolish child. If you haven't already figured it out on your own, you're not as much of a genius as everyone seems to think you are._"

Sasuke growled, but before he could question what the ghost meant, he heard Kao talking.

"_Huh? Is that...?"_

Sasuke spun around, watching as Kao grinned and began to run down the hall. "_Princess is that you?"_

Sasuke's blood ran cold.

'_No...It...It couldn't be..._' he thought in horror, watching as Kao stumbled away from one end of the hall, cursing and yelling about common courtesy. He took a step closer, feeling his gut clench horribly. Suddenly, a shadow rushed past, just as Kao turned around and Sasuke jerked back as the boy was slammed against the mirror, fragments falling all around him. Sasuke quickly began to run forward, wanting to see-no, _needing_ to see the attacker up close.

'_Please don't be who I think it is!_' he thought desperately, coming closer to the two. As soon as he was close enough, he got a glimpse of the attacker before his vision began to flash in red and white, informing him that his time was up.

As he was sucked out of the vision, his eyes wide and his blood cold, he heard Orochimaru's laugh echo around him like a haunting melody.

"_You guessed right, Sasuke-kun. And that was just the first time."_

* * *

Sasuke jumped away from the body on the floor, gasping for breath as he stumbled slightly. The medic looked at him in concern, reaching out a hand.

"Hey kid, are you alright?" he asked, scooting closer. Sasuke shook his head, waving away the offered hand.

"I'm...I'm fine..." he breathed, stumbling back. Naruto sent him a questioning look from where he stood beside a panicking Kamurou, who was once more trying to dial his foster mother. Sasuke only shook his head again, unable to look the blond in the eye.

As he stared at the ground, he heard Kamurou begin speaking over the phone.

"Ma? Ma, it's me! We need you! Kao was attacked by someone and he needs to go to the hospital!" Kamurou said, running a hand through his hair and mussing it up. He began to pace again, Naruto staying close to him the entire time. Sasuke kept his distance, his head reeling as he recalled what he'd seen in his vision.

'_How'_ was the only thought that ran through his mind as a crowd was beginning to gather, wondering what was wrong. Distantly, Sasuke heard someone call his name, but he was still too frozen to respond. Someone grabbed his arm, and weakly, Sasuke looked up to see the face of his older brother, whose dark eyes were shining with concern.

"Sasuke, are you alright? What happened?" Itachi asked softly.

Sasuke swallowed, glancing at Naruto to see the boy was busy helping explain things to Kamurou's mother over the phone, as the red head was too busy trying to help the medics with his brother to do so. Knowing that Naruto would be preoccupied for a while, Sasuke grabbed Itachi's arm and led him away from the crowd, towards the other side of the building. Itachi followed along, sensing his little brother's silent distress.

When they were out of sight of most of the crowd, Sasuke stopped and leant heavily against the wall. There was a door nearby, for staff only, and next to it were several mirrors, perhaps spares or new ones. Sasuke looked at his own reflection; hardly daring to look directly at his eyes for fear that they wouldn't belong to him.

"Sasuke, what's wrong?" Itachi coaxed gently. "What happened to Kao-kun?"

Sasuke reached up a hand, seeing the way it shook. He still couldn't believe it. It couldn't be true, could it?

Itachi frowned, not liking his little brother's strange behaviour. Sasuke had been acting strange the whole day, and Itachi was beginning to worry. What was eating at his baby brother?

"Sasuke...What happened?" Itachi demanded firmly.

Sasuke swallowed. "H-He was...attacked in the House of Mirrors..." he said softly, his eyes glazing over in memory once more.

Itachi frowned even more, still not understanding why Sasuke was acting so strange. "Alright...what's wrong? Who did—"

"It was me."

Itachi's eyes grew wide as the soft whisper reached his ears, and his blood ran cold as Sasuke looked up. In the younger raven's eye, he could see it.

The fear, the doubt, the horror, and the guilt...all of them were visible to Itachi.

All of it was in Sasuke's right eye.

But Itachi's fear and horror was stemmed from Sasuke's left eye.

Sasuke's left, _yellow_ eye.

* * *

**ASKJFEIHGDFNFEIF *splodes***

**WAS THAT ENDING GOOD? DX **

**DID IT GIVE YOU A SENSE OF FORBODING, CLIFF-HANGER, EVIL-NESS-NESS? DID IT? If NOT...then I failed. T_T**

**8D anyway! OOOH!**

**...EXCITING?**

**I DUNNO WHAT TO SAY HERE!**

**Kao: I hate you, you know that right?**

**Me: Yes, you've only said that like...100 times since I wrote out your scene.**

**Kao: I still hate you.**

**Me: *snorts* feel the love. Maybe I should kill you...**

**Kao: I LOVE YA! 8D**

**Reviews?  
**


	14. Seeking Help

**SORRY FOR THE WAIT! T_T I do have reasons, but I know you've all been waiting for this chapter, so I won't spew them all here!**

**Things are, well, picking up.**

**Warnings: Slight swearing, off-the-top-of-my-head-rituals, and ghostly shit. (See? Swearing already! :D)**

**Disclaimer: Y Me No Own? *troll face*  
**

* * *

**Seeking Help**

"GAH!"

Sasuke slammed backwards, his hands shooting up to grip at his head as his legs kicked uncontrollably on the floor. He gasped for breath, his back arching over and over as he writhed on the floor. Another wave hit and he cried out, curling in on himself.

"AAAAH!"

All around him, the strange symbols were glowing brightly in the dark room, and he screamed in pain as trails of fiery letters slithered over his body. He kicked out, writhing around some more before finally; _finally_, the pain was just too much.

"STOP! _PLEASE_ STOP! NO MORE!" he screamed, eyes watering in pain. His right eye was bright red, the Sharingan spinning wildly as he continued to throw himself around on the floor, screaming and crying and begging. The left eye flickered dangerously from Sharingan red to a bright, gleaming yellow. The marking on his shoulder, easily visible as his torso was exposed, was burning and changing shape constantly. It seemed to spread out into a barrage of black flames before glowing red and shrinking back into the usual shape of three comma markings.

"PLEASE STOP!"

Sasuke couldn't take it. The pain was too intense, he felt like he was going to pass out or even die. His entire body, his soul itself, felt like it was on fire. Death would be a mercy at this stage.

"P-PLEASE MAKE IT S-STOP!" he was sobbing, his body jerking and twitching even as black symbols began to weave around his limbs, tightening before they sunk into his skin and out of sight.

Sasuke screamed out again, throwing himself into the centre of the large, glowing symbolic circle that he was trapped inside and he began to claw at the ground, his nails chipping and his fingers beginning to bleed.

The four men standing around the circle tried their level best not to pay any mind to his pleas. They couldn't afford to stop the ritual, especially since it was close to its end. They had to endure, and they had to pray that Sasuke endured just a bit longer.

But even though they were professionals, the teenager's screams caused them internal agony.

And one of them was crying.

Itachi tried to blink out the moisture in his eyes that dripped down his cheeks as he watched his precious baby brother writhe in agony before him. He wanted nothing more than to stop his brother's pain, to pick him up and hold him close and protect him from anyone and anything that would try to hurt him again. But he knew that he couldn't do that. Not this time.

The ritual was almost finished, and in the end, it would only benefit Sasuke.

"How much longer?" a determinedly hard voice snapped from beside him, and Itachi barely glanced at Kakashi, who was looking sicker and sicker with every passing minute.

On the other side of the circle, Hidan grunted as his hands continued to form signs for the ritual.

"Not too long now. The brat just has to endure a minute more," he strained out as Sasuke began to kick out again.

Itachi bit his lip fiercely, and looked at the other member of their party. Kisame was looking blank faced, but his eyes were swirling with sadness as he gazed at Sasuke's form.

This ritual was killing all of them inside.

Suddenly, Sasuke stopped moving, and Itachi's heart did much the same out of fear.

'_Oh God please..._'

Before Itachi could jump to any real conclusions, Sasuke shot up, eyes wide open and mouth gaping in a loud, blood curdling scream that sent chills down the spines of every man present. Both of his eyes switched to a bright yellow and his skin paled. The teen's head snapped around to glare straight at Itachi, who could only watch in sick horror as his brother was visibly possessed right before him.

"_You fools. If you think a mere seal like this pathetic ritual will give him is enough to completely keep me out, you're even more naive then I thought. It won't take long for me to break through this barrier and take control. It's only a matter of time before this boy's body is completely my own._"

The voice coming out of Sasuke's mouth was dead and scratchy, a hiss like a snake more than a voice of a boy. Itachi's tears turned angry.

"Get the fuck out of my baby brother!" he roared.

Sasuke's yellow eyes brightened and his lips pulled back into a cruel sneer, his face looking so much like the spirit of Orochimaru, and yet somehow still being Sasuke.

And he began to laugh, the sound maniacal and pure evil. Kakashi shuddered, and Kisame avoided his eyes, unable to stand seeing the familiar face turned so gruesomely evil. Only Hidan kept eye contact, his gaze steely and his face set. Itachi was struggling against the urge to run into the circle and try and physically rip the snake spirit out of his brother.

"_Say goodbye to your precious baby brother, boy. He won't be around much when I'm finished._"

That was it.

Itachi was making a move to go into the circle. Before he could, however, Sasuke's head snapped back harshly and he began to scream again, his eyes suddenly glowing and a light seeming to echo from his throat as the last of the inky black symbols wrapped around his neck, face and shoulders.

Hidan yelled out, crashing his hands together and a pulse ran through the air, knocking the other men off their feet as Sasuke sprawled flat on his back, limbs spread out. The floor around him cracked, and a small, shallow crater formed where he was lying, placing him an inch or two lower than the floor level. With one last pulse, the glowing circle disintegrated and Sasuke stopped screaming.

Instead he was gasping for breath, his chest heaving up and down fiercely while his arms and legs remained limp. Sweat was dripping down his face and body, and his hair was matted down to his forehead and cheeks. Eyes glazed and unfocused, he struggled to think clearly.

Itachi was stumbling over to him in an instant, dropping to his knees and reaching down to lift the boy out of the mini-crater.

Sasuke didn't respond to his touch or his calls, instead staring vacantly out to the side.

Kisame and Kakashi were there too, giving him space while trying to check him for further injury.

Hidan slowly stood, dusting off his ritual robes. He watched as the three men began to panic at Sasuke's lack of reaction before sighing.

"He's going to sleep. The ritual took more out of him than you can imagine, he'll be unconscious for a while. But the end result is fine. He's not in any pain anymore," he informed slowly, letting the information sink in and watching as the three men relaxed.

Itachi brushed away some of Sasuke's hair, and briefly the younger Uchiha's eyes focused on him. A soft whisper, barely audible and sounding very tired escaped.

"D-Don't...tell...Naru..." and then Sasuke slumped completely, eyes drifting shut and chest slowing down to an even pace.

Itachi swallowed, sharing a look with the other two before he nodded.

"I won't tell him. He won't know of what's inside of you."

* * *

Naruto paced, mumbling incoherently to himself over and over. He didn't know what to do or what to think. He was so confused and he didn't know how to find answers.

He was back at home, in his bedroom. Jiraiya had checked in one him a few times, but each time he'd just grunted an 'I'm fine!' and the poor man had ducked away before Naruto could unleash any real fury on him.

Naruto ran a hand through his hair in frustration, before hissing and sitting heavily onto his bed. He couldn't get the memory out of his head.

Right after the medics had loaded Kao up, and Kamurou had finished talking to his mother, Naruto had gone around the corner where he saw Sasuke drag Itachi for some odd reason. However, before he could truly turn, he'd heard Sasuke and Itachi speaking.

"H-He was attacked in the House of Mirrors..." Sasuke was saying and Naruto slowed down, wondering why Sasuke sounded so strange.

"Alright...What's wrong? Who did-"

"It was me."

Naruto felt like his entire world had just been thrown across the room and turn over. All breath left him in a rush and he stumbled away from the corner, hardly daring to believe that it was real. However, before too long, Itachi was coming around the corner, dragging Sasuke along. Itachi looked..._scared_.

Sasuke had his head lowered, hair covering his eyes. They went straight past Naruto, ignoring him completely as the blond watched them go with wide, disbelieving eyes. Just before they completely vanished, he saw Itachi stop to talk to Kakashi and Kisame. Both the other men suddenly looked panicked, looking between Sasuke and Itachi before they rushed away.

Naruto had caught a lift home with Kamurou and his mother. The ride had been awkward and tense for him. Kamurou had been silent, looking lost and pale. In the front seat, his mother was stony faced, her eyes cold and glaring ahead. Halfway to his house, he'd heard her mutter.

"When I get my hands on the mangy, worthless, son of a dick-sucking hoe-nag that did this, I'm going to rip his lungs out through his Goddamn ass."

Naruto had kept silent, still trying to ignore the fact that he had physically heard Sasuke say that he was the one who attacked Kao.

It just seemed so wrong. Sasuke wouldn't do something like that!

...Would he?

The fact that he had even the slightest hint of doubt caused guilt to claw at his insides like a hungry zombie. He leant back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling in despair. What had Sasuke truly meant? What was Itachi so scared of? Why had the others, Kakashi and Kisame, reacted the way they had? What was Sasuke hiding?

What was Sasuke hiding from _him_?

A flicker of anger welled up inside him at being left in the dark. He thought Sasuke trusted him. He trusted the raven with everything. So why was it that he didn't have a clue what was going through his boyfriend's head. He swallowed, turning onto his side and clutching the sheets.

It hurt.

It hurt to be left out of the loop. It hurt that Sasuke was struggling with something and he couldn't do a thing to help. He didn't even know _how_ he could help. It hurt that he was helpless when it seemed that Sasuke needed someone to understand. But then again, Itachi and the others seemed to understand perfectly well.

It was only him...He was the only one who didn't know what was going on.

The flicker of anger returned, but he brutally squashed it down. He knew there had to be an explanation for this. He wouldn't get mad at Sasuke until he had every single right to.

His eyes drifted to half mast. He was so tired now. Everything from the night before had been draining, and he was feeling so...odd. He didn't know how to describe the feeling, except that it wasn't exactly pleasant.

Slowly, his eyes slipped closed until he was fast asleep, barely making a sound.

* * *

_He blinked, looking around. He appeared to be in some kind of underground dungeon. He wasn't quite sure, but there were long, dark hallways and lots of...well...brick walls and floors. Taking a step, he was startled to hear a splash. Looking down, he saw that there was quite a large quantity of water covering the floor. In fact, his ankles disappeared under it. _

_Pondering where he was, he jumped at the sudden rush of air that hit his back. It was warm, and soft. Almost inviting._

_He turned in the direction it had come from and began to walk that way, not sure why he was so calm. Then again, he could almost tell that this was a dream. Why fear a dream?_

_As he moved through the halls, the warm wind came again, brief as before but slightly warmer. He walked a bit faster, a smile starting to etch onto his face. It felt so nice and warm, that wind._

_He began to jog down the hallways, each blast of wind getting warmer and warmer until it was actually hot. His smile faded as he turned a corner, and saw a flickering light up ahead. The heat was starting to get annoying and uncomfortable. But he couldn't stop running towards it. It was like his legs were being controlled._

_His eyes grew wide as the end of the hallway came into view. The room ahead was filled with raging fire that licked up the walls, boiled the water and seemed to swallow everything around it. In the centre of the room, a large flaming shape was swirling, almost like a flaming flower in the middle of the room. Naruto slowed to a stop as he reached the entrance, staring at the swirling flames in awe. The pattern looked familiar. He was sure he'd seen it somewhere before._

_Suddenly, the swirl exploded, flames shooting every direction as something erupted from the centre of it. Naruto yelled out, trying to run back but a wall of fire appeared behind him, blocking his way. He turned wide, terrified eyes to the emerging creature of flames, and his heart seemed to burst out of his chest and run away screaming as a pair of fiery red eyes turned to him._

_A flaming jaw opened up, showing rows of pearly white fangs glistening in the light. A roar, sounding similar to the roar of a wild fire mixed with that of an animal sounded in the room, and Naruto could only gape in horror at the flaming beast before him. Suddenly, it lunged directly at him, flames shooting out and moving to curl around him. _

_He screamed._

* * *

With a jolt he woke up, taking a deep gasp of air as if he'd been suffocating for years. His eyes clenched shut and his back arched, a pained cry escaping him as his stomach began to burn, the skin around his abdomen feeling as if it were on fire. He thrashed onto his side, the sheets tangling around him while he began to sweat until he was on his stomach, knees drawing up as he clawed at the headboard, gasping as the pain grew worse.

One hand scrabbled down to his stomach, and he tore at the shirt, ripping it up and looking down with pained breaths. His eyes blurred with tears that leaked from his eyes but even through them he could make out the strange black marking that was burning around his skin, circling his naval. He gasped again as it burned harshly and it felt like someone had punched him in the gut. He grunted, falling until his face was buried harshly into the pillow. He let out a scream that was almost completely silenced by the material before him as the pain grew to a new level before suddenly...

It was gone.

He lay there panting and shivering and oh so confused. Slowly, he turned around until he lay on his back, slightly propped up against the headboard. Gingerly, he pulled his shirt up and glanced down at his stomach. Faintly, he could make out the lines of the marking which formed a strange spiral around his navel. Cautiously, he reached down to run a finger over it, and gasped when the skin welted and the colour turned dark and vivid. As soon as he pulled his finger away, the skin smoothed over again and the marking faded until it was near invisible.

Shuddering in panic, he stumbled up and to his doorway, his face pale. Sticking his head out the door, he noticed it was quite dark. How long had he been asleep? It hadn't felt that long!

He made his way through the darkened halls, eyes wide and darting side to side like a frightened animal. Finally he reached Jiraiya's study and gave a hard knock to the wood.

"Come in!" was the gruff answer and it took him several tries to get a grip on the door handle. It rattled harshly in his shaking hands, and he cursed to himself as he finally got the door to click open.

Jiraiya looked up from his laptop and his face turned grave the moment he saw Naruto. It was obvious something was very wrong with the blond. He was shaking like a leaf, his skin pale and his movements were jittery as he ran a hand over his stomach, and even his red eyes were-

"Oh God!" Jiraiya shot up, his own eyes widening when Naruto's eyes faded back to blue. A frightened, lost and very confused blue, but blue nonetheless. Had he been imagining...?

"D-Dad, something's w-wrong!" Naruto stammered, still shaking. Jiraiya moved forwards and Naruto lifted his shirt. "Look!" he said, running a finger over the invisible marking and watching as it appeared again. Jiraiya gasped, his eyes bugging and he took a step back, bumping into his desk.

"That..." Jiraiya started, running a hand through his hair frantically. He'd seen that mark before, back when he was much younger. He'd seen it on the stomach of a dead woman, whose arms had been curled around a screaming, golden haired infant.

"Dad what is going on? What is this thing?" Naruto yelled, voice cracking in his panic. It was all too much for him. First the rollercoaster incident, then Kao, then Sasuke's secrets and weird, unclear confession, and now horrible nightmares and this strange marking? He couldn't deal with this! He couldn't understand it, or stop it...He couldn't do anything!

"W-What's happening t-to m-me!.?" He sobbed, falling to his knees. Everything was bearing down on him, he felt so heavy and weighted with all of it. He was confused and in the dark about it all, and the horrible feeling of helplessness was eating him alive.

Jiraiya was by his side in an instant, wrapping his large arms around Naruto's smaller frame and trying his best to offer comfort to the panicking boy. He didn't know what was happening either. His knowledge was so limited to what he'd seen with his eyes and mere rumours. He had no facts, he had no solid story...he had nothing of use.

"I don't know kid...I don't know..." he murmured, his heart wrenching painfully when Naruto gave another sob and pressed his face into Jiraiya's chest, his shaking hands clutching his shirt like a lifeline.

Naruto gritted his teeth harshly, burying himself as far as he could into Jiraiya's embrace. He wanted to melt away from the world and all the scary and confusing things going on around him. He just wanted some peace. He wanted...he wanted...

'_Sasuke..._'

* * *

Sasuke groaned, his eyes cracking open. Sweat was lining his brow, dripping down the side of his face as he breathing came out in shallow pants. A cloth, once damp with water was now warm and damp with sweat. His cheeks were flushed red and his eyes remained blurred and barely focused.

After the Sealing Ritual, he'd gotten a high fever and was confined to bed in order to sweat it out. Itachi was sitting in a chair next to him, snoring softly. Sasuke shivered, feeling cold despite the warm blankets tucked around him and the fact he was sweating. He cleared his throat, but ended up coughing terribly. Itachi jerked awake at the noise and leant over Sasuke's bed immediately, coal black eyes burning in concern.

"Sasuke, how are you feeling?" he asked softly, and almost smiled at the look Sasuke sent him. It was so obviously stating 'How the fuck do you think I'm feeling, you retard?'

"Right, right...you look like shit too, if that's any consolation," Itachi chuckled, and Sasuke closed his eyes in exasperation.

Silence descended on the brothers as Itachi sat back, gently wiping away the sweat on Sasuke's face and neck while the younger let his body relax. Every now and then, a small cough would slip from Sasuke's lips, and Itachi would gently rub at his chest every time it happened, somehow helping to ease the itch.

Sasuke was about to fall asleep again when the door opened abruptly. Sakura walked in, her face tight with worry as her eyes scanned the room. When they landed on the two brothers, the worry lines increased.

"Itachi-san...Do you know where Hidan-san is?" she asked, biting her lip nervously. She hadn't expected them to be here. She thought that Sasuke would be recovering from his sudden fever at home. The other members of the crew didn't know why Sasuke had gotten so sick after the night at the carnival. They all had their own rumours and theories about what had happened at the carnival, but no one knew exactly what was going on between the Uchihas and the others involved in the incident.

But Sakura was smarter than most, and had connected a few pieces. She knew that one of the red headed twins had been hurt, and she also had a strong hunch that Sasuke played a role in it somehow. She also knew this fever wasn't natural...Sasuke had gone through something that caused it, but she wasn't sure what. Of course Kakashi and Itachi knew, along with most of the older members of the crew. But she couldn't pin point exactly what was happening.

However, currently she had something else to worry about.

Itachi shook his head. "No, I believe he's resting somewhere. He may be at home, or in the rest room. Why?" A dark eyebrow arched when Sakura wrung her hands.

The pink haired girl fidgeted, her eyes darting to Sasuke and back. She wasn't sure if she should tell him...But it did involve him, sort of.

"Well..." she started, but bit her tongue. Even though Sasuke was kind of involved, she had been asked not to tell anyone but Hidan. She still couldn't get the voice that asked for her help out of her head.

'_Why did I have to be the one to answer the damn phone!_' she thought in agitation. Sighing, she shook her head and started to leave.

"It's nothing to worry about, Itachi-san. Thank you. I hope Sasuke-kun feels better soon," she said and left before they could question.

Itachi stared at the door in confusion for a moment before glancing at Sasuke. The look in his brother's eyes said all he needed, and with a short dab at Sasuke's forehead with the newly wet cloth, he stood up.

"I'll go see what's up, and report back to you. Get some rest," he instructed. Sasuke nodded sleepily, his eyes already drooping.

Itachi walked out of the room after giving a last glance, and soon he caught sight of Sakura jogging down the hallway. Quietly, he followed her until she reached the rest area in the headquarters apartment, and gently knocked on the door. As luck would have it, Hidan opened the door, looking as grumpy as always.

"Huh? Sakura? What is it?" Hidan groaned, his face still pale from the strain of the Sealing Ritual.

Itachi pressed himself against the wall, listening intently.

Sakura fidgeted slightly, before sighing. "Hidan-san, I have to ask you about...ancient seals. Specifically ones that appear in the form of tattoos and that appear on touch and vanish automatically."

Itachi blinked, his ears perking up. Why on Earth would Sakura, of all people, be asking something like that? The girl surely wasn't taking an interest in the business of sealing spirits. And there was no way she could know about Sasuke's seal. After all the effects she just described were nothing like Sasuke's seal at all. So what as Sakura doing?

Hidan looked down at the girl, his face tense. "Why do you want to know about that? That's seriously ancient shit. Like, Mayan and Aztec time kind of ancient shit. What's with the sudden interest?" he asked slowly.

Sakura gulped, her eyes shining with both curiosity and hesitance.

'_Why am I even doing this in the first place? Why the hell did he trust me with this?...Agh, why the hell am I keeping his trust?_' she thought again, growling to herself before heaving a sigh.

"It's...It's for Naruto-kun. He called, asking about it. He asked me to keep it between me, him and you, since you're the one who knows about all the seals and such," Sakura mumbled.

Itachi strained to hear it, but once he did he wished he had blocked his ears. It felt as if someone had stolen the bottom of his stomach, leaving everything to fall down an endless metaphorical pit.

"Oh God..." he breathed, pressing his palms to his eyes. "What are the odds?" Another press, and Itachi grit his teeth. "Fuck you, Murphy!" he spat into his palms.

Sakura blinked, looking down the hall. She could've sworn she heard someone say something, but there was no one there. Before she could think more on it, Hidan gently grabbed her shoulder and tugged her inside.

"Come in. This is going to take a lot of explaining...fuck, and I was having such a nice dream too."

Itachi had gone back to Sasuke's room the moment Sakura had entered Hidan's quarters. He didn't want to hear what the conversation was about, he could already make his own connections, guesses and various other links.

He'd always felt there was something about Naruto that was different...something that was unusual. Sure, the boy had massive amounts of spiritual energy, but so did Kisame, Kakashi and even Jiraiya. It wasn't uncommon for some people to have more than others, it all depended on that single person's capability to hold certain amounts. Normal people could accumulate massive amounts in without even realizing it. Construction workers, athletes...they all used spiritual energy, and trained their bodies in ways that allowed them to hold more than others, even if they didn't realize it. Naruto did seem like the active type, so for him to have such a high amount hadn't set off any warning bells in Itachi's mind.

But now he was taking a whole different look on things. Sitting in his chair, he placed a hand over his mouth, his eyes partly narrowed in thought.

If his hunches about Uzumaki Naruto were true, then this entire sealing ordeal with Sasuke had just become ten times more complicated. Itachi knew that Orochimaru's spirit wasn't going to lay down forever. If anything, the fact that they sealed him twice would only encourage the damn ghost to work harder to escape and take full possession of Sasuke's body. And if Naruto did indeed have something sealed inside him...

The incident at the carnival was suddenly making sense to Itachi. Sasuke had told him about what he apparently saw. A snake, a great white snake.

That had been Orochimaru's spiritual energy taking a physical form. And then it had vanished?

'_If Naruto does have something sealed within him, which I hope to God he doesn't, then whatever it is, it's something that opposes Orochimaru. That can either be good or bad...because it seems to react to Sasuke's seal. If Sasuke were to lose control and become fully possessed...whatever is in Naruto would do the same, and the two spirits would clash..._' Itachi's eyes slid closed as he recalled something Kakashi had once told him about opposing spirits clashing while possessing human forms.

'_-Two take form, non-living into life, meet; oppose, and ending in a bloody sky. Neither soul lives, neither soul dies. All that's left is empty eyes. Form becomes soul, and soul becomes sky...Dipped in blood, the red moon cries._'

The door opening snapped Itachi out of his musings, and slowly he looked up to see Kakashi.

"We have a visitor, and potential client. Itachi, you need to come chat too, " Kakashi said sternly. Itachi sighed, nodding and rubbing his temples. He decided not to inform Kakashi of anything until he knew for sure that he was right. For everyone's sake, it would be better that way.

When he entered the living room, he saw a petite girl sitting on the couch, her fingers clutching her bag tightly as she waited. Orange hair fell around her face, and nervously she swept it behind her ears.

"Hello again! Sorry for the sudden leave, but I had to fetch my co-leader. This is Uchiha Itachi, he's pleased to meet you, don't worry his bite will only last for a week unless he's in a bad mood!" Kakashi introduced cheerfully.

The girl shivered slightly, looking unsure but she gave a small giggle nonetheless. Once everyone was seated, Kakashi sighed happily and leant forwards.

"Now then, Miss..."

"Emi. Tora Emi," the girl said timidly. "I'm a student at Hikaru High School."

"Ah, a student, my personal favourite!" Kakashi smiled. "Now then, what can we do for you, Tora-san?"

Emi's knuckled whitened as she clutched the bag in her lap. "My...My friends are missing," she whispered, her eyes gaining a faraway look in them.

Kakashi blinked, sharing a look with Itachi.

"Tora-san, that sounds like something the police should be informed about," Itachi started, but the girl shook her head.

"They won't believe me! I've tried! I risked getting us all into trouble and told the cops, but they just wouldn't listen to me!" she cried, looking up. Tears were pooling in the corners of her eyes as she stared at the two men. "And whatever took them wasn't...It wasn't _human_! It wasn't natural! I don't...I don't even know if they're still..." Emi's lips trembled and she buried her face in her hands, sobbing. "Please! I don't know what else to do! The police won't believe me, my parents won't believe me, _and their_ parents won't even believe me! I'm all alone and I can't help them!"

Kakashi quickly moved over to the girl, gently rubbing her upper back in an effort to soothe her.

"Alright, alright...first tell us why you think we can help? Where and when did your friends go missing? What makes you think it was a spirit or related to paranormal things?"

Emi looked up, tear tracks glistening on her cheeks.

"There was a rumour going around school! The boys were saying that there were a bunch of mutant monsters in the old sewer system near our school. They were all daring each other to go, but none of them were brave enough. My friends, Nao and Satoko thought it would be funny to go and explore the sewer to prove the rumour false and rub it in the boys' faces that a couple of girls could do what they couldn't! I didn't want to do it, but they wouldn't listen to me! We went over to the school two nights ago, and they both went down while I kept a lookout. But then all of a sudden, I heard Satoko start to scream, and when I called for them, they didn't answer. But I swear...I swear that soon after I stopped calling, I heard something roar. It sounded like some kind of animal, but...it sounded human at the same time! I'd never heard anything like it!" The fear colouring both Emi's face and her voice was undeniable.

Kakashi looked over at the oldest Uchiha, and they both nodded. This case seemed worth at least checking out.

"Alright, we'll search for your friends. If they've been gone for two days already, we need to hurry. I'm going to call in all our available crew and we'll start searching tonight. Don't worry, Tora-san, if this is supernatural, we'll take care of it. And if it's not, we'll still find your friends," Kakashi promised.

Emi turned to look at him, her eyes glistening. "R-really?"

"I promise."

The girl began to sob, enveloping Kakashi in a sudden hug. "T-Thank you! Thank you so much! I d-didn't know what I'd d-do if you c-couldn't help me!" she wailed.

Itachi would've smirked at the awkward look on Kakashi's face as he petted the girl's head, but his mind was too filled with thoughts to tease the man.

'_The snake-bastard spirit, the seal, Naruto...and now a new job. Fuck it, I need a drink._'

* * *

**I hope it was worth the wait... :'(**

**Kao: I hope so too, I got frikken BLUDGEONED in the last chapter... B[ You better give me an awesome recovery at least...**

**Me: I shall do whatever I wish, you fool! Now shut your face, get on your knees and give me a bloody foot massage, because my feet hurt!**

**Kao: Why the hell do your feet hurt?**

**Me: They hurt from all the times I've had to kick your ass over the past couple of days!**

**Kao: Oh yeah right you damn-**

***Technical Difficulties***

**Reviews please~ *heart*  
**


	15. Descent

**Hi! Hope the wait wasn't too long eh? Well here we have the new chapter!**

**Well...not much to say...well, I suppose I could inform everyone that I've renamed the twins? although that won't matter since I'm keeping their names the same here even though in future I'll use their new names in stories they feature in.**

**I really don't know what else to say, so let's get a move on eh?**

**Warnings: Swearing, ghost-ness.**

**Disclaimer: I own the twins, but no one else in this chapter. T_T how sad...  
**

* * *

**Descent**

Gaara shrugged off his jacket and hung it on the small nail beside the door. He toed off his shoes before making his way down the wooden hallway. As he passed by the kitchen, he heard the sound of pans clanging and peeked in, curiosity getting the better of him.

Trying to climb onto the counter was a small girl with long brown hair. She was balancing on several books stacked together, tongue poking out as she tried to reach for the bag of flour.

Gaara easily saw the oncoming fall and quickly shuffled into the room just as one of the books slipped.

"Waah!" the girl squeaked, toppling backwards. Gaara held out his arms and quickly caught her before she could hit the floor as the books slid away, scattering across the tile. Once the girl realized she wasn't going to feel pain, she opened her eyes and looked up.

"Gaara-nii-san!" she cried, lavender eyes widening. "I didn't know you were coming to visit!"

Gaara blinked. "I didn't tell anyone. You should be more careful, Hanabi," he said quietly, and the girl blushed.

"I know. I'm helping Onee-san bake some cookies, and she had to answer the phone. I was trying to get the flour for her," the young girl said, looking down at her feet in shame. "I'm sorry."

Gaara just nodded, not entirely comfortable around the girl. Luckily, he was saved the trouble of trying to answer her when Hinata walked through the doorway, blinking.

"G-Gaara-kun! I didn't know you'd b-be coming."

"He's here to surprise us!" Hanabi piped up, and then harshly nudged the red head in the side. Gaara looked down at her briefly before shrugging and holding up his hands, waving them slightly.

"Surprise," he drawled and Hinata giggled.

"W-well it's good to s-see you. N-Neji is in his room," she said, motioning the hall and Gaara nodded before quickly leaving with a soft "Thanks."

Hanabi watched the red head leave before she sighed. "He's so dreamy," she cooed, and Hinata looked down at her in surprise. "When I'm older, I'm going to marry him!"

Hanabi jumped when Hinata started to laugh, clutching her sides. "Eh? Onee-san, what's so funny?"

Gaara walked through the halls as if they were his own. He had gotten used to the layout of the Hyuuga Mansion since his first visit and already knew his way to Neji's room and back as if it was mapped on his own hand.

Reaching the door, he pressed his ear to the wood and listened.

Not a sound.

Curious, he quietly eased the door open and peeked inside.

Neji was sprawled out on his back on his bed, eyes closed and lips moving as his head bobbed slightly. Gaara saw the wires leading to his ears, and realized he was listening to music. Neji was wearing a pair of boxers and a sleeping shirt, and Gaara guessed he hadn't been awake for very long.

Easing himself into the room, he walked over to the bed and loomed over the psychic. Neji's eyebrows furrowed slightly, undoubtedly from sensing a new presence beside him. With a sigh, he reached up to pull out one earphone, keeping his eyes closed.

"Hanabi-sama, what is it?"

Gaara blinked. "I know I'm not the tallest, but even I'm not _that_ short," he said and Neji shot up, eyes widening.

"Gaara! I didn't...I didn't know you were coming-"

"I'm here to surprise you," Gaara cut in, repeating his actions of before. "Surprise."

Neji raised an eyebrow, confused, but before he could question Gaara leant in and pulled him into a kiss. Neji almost rolled his eyes. There was never any waiting with the red head. He came, he kissed, he possibly _came_ again, and then he would leave, mostly because he had a curfew that would equal his death should he miss it.

Before things could get heated, however, Neji's phone began to buzz on the side table. Pulling himself away and missing the almost pout on Gaara's face, he reached over and grabbed it, flipping it open.

"Hyuuga Neji speaking," he answered, and then listened for a moment. His eyes widened slightly and he started to climb off the bed. "Search and rescue?" he inquired, as he rummaged in his closet for some pants. Gaara scooted further onto the bed and watched as the Hyuuga began to strip and pull on some real clothes. His green eyes brightened when he was presented with a view of Neji's behind, but he decided against whistling. The last time he'd been so bold, Neji had slipped on a banana peel and almost knocked his psychic-eyeballs right out of his skull.

"Two missing students in the sewers...it doesn't sound very paranormal to me," Neji said as he pulled a shirt over his head. He straightened up as the person on the other end spoke, and Gaara could see the wheels turning. "Rumours of monsters? In the sewers?" Another pause. "...Alright. I'll be over in ten. See you, Kakashi."

Gaara sat up straighter as Neji finished buckling his belt and tying his hair back. "A new job?"

"Yeah. This one's a bit different than normal though. We're going to have to explore the sewers below Hikaru High School. On top of that, we're not entirely sure what we're up against," Neji said, brushing a few strands of hair out of his eyes as he searched for his wallet and car keys. Gaara frowned.

"...Will you guys be alright?" he asked slowly, and Neji smiled at the small colouring of concern in the red head's voice.

"I'm sure we'll be fine. Unlike last time, Kakashi's making everyone take the new additions to our arsenal. Whatever we come across, we'll be prepared to defend ourselves, whether to the level of defeating the enemy or being able to gain time for retreat." Neji quickly walked over, pulling Gaara into a hurried kiss. As he pulled back, Gaara sighed.

"I suppose you won't let me come with you?" he asked slowly, and immediately Neji stiffened.

"Gaara, you already know my answer to that," Neji sighed, brushing back red hair. Gaara cursed under his breath but nodded.

"Just be careful...don't give me a reason to have to come down there and save your ass...again," he smirked at the last word, easily seeing Neji's annoyed flush.

"One time, Gaara. One time."

"And that one time will go down in history."

* * *

The hospital always smelled like disinfectant. It was a smell that, for some, made you feel clean and safe. Yet for others, it made you feel sick, weak and uncomfortably close to the natural thing called death.

Kamurou was one of the second types of people. His nose itched with the clean smell of the hallways. He thought that it was almost too clean; as if they were trying to lie and hide the fact that in these hallowed halls, life and death were hung on fragile strings every day. He almost believed that the walls should have stains of red to show that in here: blood is spilled and given, illness is fought, cured or claimed, and lives are put through the cycle of beginning and end.

A soft laugh left his throat at his slightly morbid thoughts, and he squeezed the hand in his a bit tighter.

"You better hurry up and recover, bro...I'm starting to act all emo by myself here," he whispered, staring at the still figure in the white-sheeted bed.

Kao hadn't woken up at all yet and it had been longer than the medics had said. Almost a whole day and a half by now. The doctors had all said he may be out for three to four days, but Kamurou knew better than they did. Not only was Kao his brother, he was his twin, and Kamurou just knew his brother was going to wake up before too long.

"Ergh...Hump my leg and bare my children, my head _hurts_!" a rough voice said almost as if on cue.

Kamurou grinned as Kao slowly opened his eyes, the usual neon green dulled slightly from pain and sleep. Kao groaned again and tried to sit up, but Kamurou steadied him with a strong hand.

"No, no! You're not sitting up yet! If you do that, you're brain is likely to start rattling around and leak out your ears," he said in a stately voice. However, at Kao's raised eyebrow, he broke out into fits of laughter.

"If anyone's brain has leaked from their ears, it's yours," Kao grunted, but lay back either way. Slowly, he took in his surroundings before letting out a dramatic sigh. "Dammit, I hoped I'd never have to see the inside of a hospital again!"

Kamurou slowly stopped laughing. "Ah, me too," he hit his twin playfully. "It's all your fault we're here!"

Kao growled, shoving the other slightly. "No it's not! It's all that bastard Uchiha's fault!"

Kamurou gaped, staring at his twin with wide eyes. "Say what? Uchiha was the one who attacked you?" His face grew stormy. "I'll kill him!"

Kao sniggered. "Glad to see my violent streak has rubbed off on you. But that's not actually what I meant..." he trailed off while Kamurou watched him in confusion.

"What did you mean then?"

Kao pushed himself up, ignoring the spinning in his head and the slight pain and the annoyed stare of hsi twin. He huffed and puffed until he was sitting upright, closing his eyes for a moment while the world steadied itself. When he next opened his eyes, the green had returned to its usual calculating neon.

"What I meant was Uchiha didn't mean to do it," he said slowly. Kamurou raised an eyebrow, confused.

"So, what...he was held at gunpoint and ordered to smash your head into the mirror? Bro, I know I can be stupid sometimes, but come on...only an idiot like Naruto could fall for that," Kamurou said jokingly, but stopped his laughter at the serious look on Kao's face.

"No...I meant that Uchiha wasn't in control. His eyes..." Kao's own eyes slid closed. "They were the same...as that man's."

Kamurou frowned. "Who's?"

"The one who killed Mizuru."

Kamurou stood up so fast his chair toppled over. "Bullshit! They got rid of that ghost! There's no way-"

"You're calling me a liar?" Kao asked softly, and Kamurou bit his tongue.

"Maybe you were hallu-"

"I know what I saw, and I saw Uchiha was possessed. I don't know what's happening exactly, but whatever it is..." Kao looked over at his twin, face stony. "Naruto is caught in the middle and he doesn't even realize it."

Kamurou breathed heavily through his nose before sighing, rubbing at his forehead.

"...What should we do?"

* * *

Naruto chomped harshly on the chewy treats that Jiraiya had given him to calm his nerves. He suspected that his old man had given him the treats in an effort to ensure that Naruto didn't end up biting him out of his frustration.

They were waiting for Sakura's return phone call with answers to their questions. Of course, Jiraiya had questioned several times why Naruto trusted the girl. But when he'd been talking to her, it was almost like a voice in his head was telling him to trust her. Naruto had just told her his problem and trusted her to help. Honestly, he didn't know why he trusted her but the feeling in his gut was a good one.

When the phone did ring, it broke the silence so suddenly Naruto screamed and threw the treats all over the place in his fright. Jiraiya looked at the mess, raising an eyebrow when Naruto panted harshly and placed a hand over his heart. Shaking his head at his son's behaviour, he reached over and grabbed the phone.

"Hello? Sakura..." he greeted and Naruto scooted over as Jiraiya put the phone on loud speaker. "What can you tell us?"

"Well," Sakura began, her voice soft and Naruto guessed she was checking to make sure that no one was around to listen. He had been right in trusting her, he just knew it.

"I asked Hidan-san about it. He said that markings like the ones you described are from old rituals in the Mayan and Aztec times to seal large, powerful demons into vessels. Apparently, in those times there were many powerful demons that roamed the world, and would sometimes cause chaos in the kingdoms, or cities or whatever they were called back then," Sakura stopped, and they heard her faint voice speak, indicating she was holding the phone away. "Not now Ino, I'm busy studying for a test!...No, not now! Ask Tenten to help you!"

They waited a few moments before Sakura continued, sounding slightly annoyed.

"Um, where was I?"

"Powerful, scary demons wreaking chaos," Naruto supplied weakly.

"Oh right. Well, an ancient cult invented the ritual to seal these demons into vessels of all kinds, be it human, animal or even an object. Each one varied, of course and the most common used was human vessels, mainly because then the demons could be watched over and kept under control by their vessels. But Hidan-san said that the art of those rituals was long ago forbidden and forgotten, so there's no way a seal like that could be around nowadays," Sakura finished and Naruto leant back in his seat.

He chewed on his lip, thinking hard. He absently ran a hand over his stomach, watching as the markings reappeared, just as dark as they had the first time. He traced the spiral with his finger, wondering if there really was a huge, powerful and scary demon nestled somewhere inside of his body. Just the thought creeped him out.

"Sakura...is...is there any way that we can personally talk to Hidan today?" Jiraiya asked, his face ashen.

"If you come over right now, you should be able to catch a word with him. We've just gotten a new job, it seems and we'll be heading out for it tonight."

"We'll be over right now then," Jiraiya said, standing up. "Thank you for your help, Sakura," he added.

"No problem," there was a hesitant sound, "And Naruto-kun?"

"Yes?"

"...I'm sure it's nothing to worry about," she said and Naruto knew that that was not what she had really wanted to say to him. But he let it slide.

"Thank you, Sakura," he sighed, closing his eyes for a moment. He heard the phone click; Sakura had hung up, and slowly he looked up at Jiraiya as the man walked into the room holding their jackets.

"I'm..." he started softly, eyes looking lost. Jiraiya tossed his jacket at him.

"Come on, let's go. The sooner we figure this out, the sooner we can relax," he instructed, pulling the blond from his seat and dragging him towards the door.

They caught a bus, sitting side by side in silence. Throughout the ride, however, Jiraiya kept his hand on Naruto's shoulder as if afraid the boy would run off if he didn't hold on. Naruto was thankful for the contact, feeling secure in knowing that Jiraiya was always there.

When they arrived at the apartment, Naruto was holding onto Jiraiya's arm like a frightened toddler, his blue eyes observing the building as if it were a dark prison with thunderclouds hovering above.

Slowly, Jiraiya led his son through the front door, not even calling out a greeting to the members that looked up when they saw him. Kiba looked ready to go over and talk, but Sakura passed him before he could do more than wave. She motioned with her hand for the two to follow her, which they did without a backwards glance at the others.

Sakura looked over her shoulder at Naruto as they arrived outside the rest room's door, and her green eyes held sympathy.

"He's in there. I already told him you were coming," she murmured and Naruto nodded, his face pale.

"T-thanks..." he breathed and Sakura patted his shoulder as she walked past, her steps seeming to echo in Naruto's ears.

Jiraiya knocked on the door, his muscles tense. When it opened, Kakuzu was the one ushering them inside and Naruto only just caught a glimpse of the door down the hall opening and a head of raven hair peeking out before he was pulled inside by Jiraiya.

Hidan was sitting on the couch, looking through a book. The moment he looked up, Jiraiya glared him down.

"Explain."

Hidan blinked slowly, lazily pushing himself up. "Show me," he replied to the harsh demand and Naruto stepped forwards.

With shaking hands, he lifted up his shirt slightly and ran a finger over the place he knew the marking was. The moment the inky design appeared, Hidan cursed under his breath.

"Well fuck my sister like a rabid donkey," he huffed, crossing his arms. "It's really there."

Naruto sat down on the sofa, Jiraiya following his lead and wrapping a comforting arm around his shoulders.

"What is it? What does it mean and is it dangerous to Naruto's health?" Jiraiya listed, eyes boring into Hidan's face until the man relented.

"Okay, first of all old man; don't get all bitchy with me. I'm the one helping your asses here, so show some gratitude. Second, that is a seal used to keep something very powerful from escaping. What it possibly means is that Scrawny over there might be a vessel for some kind of spirit, but that's undetermined so far. As for whether or not it's dangerous; I'll be able to tell you once we figure out whether there's actually a spirit in him or not. So for now, let's assume it's not dangerous, since he hasn't felt any pain over it, right?"

Naruto fidgeted at that, his eyes looking at his feet. Immediately, Jiraiya tightened his hold and Hidan narrowed his eyes.

"You've felt pain?"

Naruto nodded subtely, still looking down. "At first...I woke up after a weird nightmare...and then my stomach started to hurt. It was really painful, as if I were on fire. But then it just went away and this mark appeared."

Hidan scooted closer. "What was in the dream? Do you remember?" he asked softly.

Naruto nodded, closing his eyes to recall it. "I was in this...dungeon like place? There were stone walls and floors, and there was water everywhere. Then I felt this warm wind, and I started to walk towards it. Eventually, I reached a room that was full of flames," he opened his eyes. "In the middle of the room, there was a kind of...spiral of fire? And then it exploded and this huge, flaming monster came out of it. It had red eyes and it looked right at me. It was kind of like," he thought for a long moment, trying to name an animal. Finally, he snapped his fingers. "It was a bit like a fox, I guess."

Hidan moved off the couch, going to a small pile of books. He snatched one up, flipping through the pages with great speed before finally settling on a page. His eyes scanned the words before he let out a groan.

"Fan-fucking-tastic," he mumbled, moving back to his seat and placing the book down on the table between them. "I think that this is who that seal is keeping under wraps," he said, pointing to the picture.

Naruto leant over, looking at it. His eyes widened when he saw a huge, flaming fox depicted in the picture.

"That's it! That's what I saw!" He jerked back, a memory coming to him. "I saw it in another dream too! I couldn't remember it, but now I do! I've seen it twice in my dreams!"

Hidan rubbed a hand over his face, looking contemplative. "In any of those dreams...has it seemed to be attacking you?" he asked and Naruto thought carefully.

"Well...not really. I always wake up before too long. In the dreams I've seen it, all that happens is it looks at me and roars or something. Does that count as attacking?"

"No," Hidan murmured, picking the book up and looking at it carefully. "But it's not like a demon from the age of the fucking Aztecs can speak our language fluently."

Jiraiya sighed. "So what does this mean? Is that creature sealed inside of Naruto? Is he in any danger?" he asked slowly, and Naruto swallowed.

Hidan read a bit more before slowly he started to shake his head. "Look, this seal and all that it entails is stuff that was long ago destroyed and forgotten. I only know a shit's hair about it to be honest, and that's only because my teacher wasn't exactly a by-the-book asshole. But from what I do know, this demon isn't one that has a negative effect on its vessel. If anything, Shrimpy over here will benefit from that seal."

Naruto narrowed his eyes at the name and growled. "How will I benefit from it?" he snapped, crossing his arms. "I don't see an upside to having anything supernatural inside of me! Dammit, that even sounds gross!" he cringed.

Hidan snickered, raising an eyebrow. "For starters, demon-carriers are immune to possession of other spirits. If another ghost ever tried to possess you, it'd just get chewed up, and spit back out. Another thing is that your healing rate and energy levels will be higher than average."

Jiraiya and Naruto shared a look at that, both of them knowing that those were true. Naruto began to shiver slightly, his hand clutching at his stomach.

"So...so what does this make me? A demon? Or what?" he asked slowly. Kakuzu stepped forward.

"No, you're just a vessel to that demon, it doesn't mean that you are the demon itself. It's never manifested before now, which goes to show that you can be perfectly normal even with its presence."

"But why is it showing now?" Jiraiya asked gruffly. Hidan scratched at his chin.

"My guess is that something caused the little fucker to stir. Something that this demon doesn't like and wants to get rid of. When has the most supernatural shit happened?" he asked.

Naruto blinked, remembering his time on the rollercoaster with Sasuke. And then the bad feeling he'd had...with Sasuke. And...And...

"Oh God," he breathed, clutching at his stomach. "Every time something weird has happened, Sasuke has been involved in some way..." he trailed off, looking at Hidan hopelessly. "Y-you don't think the demon hates Sasuke?"

Hidan and Kakuzu shared a look. "No, because then it would've reacted when you two first met," Kakuzu supplied slowly. "It must be coincidence that Sasuke was there. After all, you two spend a lot of time together."

Hidan bit the inside of his cheek. '_Nice save, Kakuzu. If the brat finds out about Sasuke's own little demon, things would get a whole lot harder to deal with._'

Naruto gnawed on his lip, looking to the side. "So...what should I do?"

Hidan thought for a moment. "Well, I suppose I'll tell you how the most basic things you need to know about having a seal on you." At Naruto's crestfallen face, he grinned. "Hey brat, don't look so sad! Just think of it like...your own Pocket Pet or some shit."

Naruto slumped against Jiraiya, closing his eyes. "Great...an ancient creature of mass destruction is sealed inside my gut, and you're telling me to act like it's a fluffy munch-kin."

"Oh cheer the fuck up before I slap you."

* * *

Sasuke woke up when Itachi entered the room and he looked to his brother for answers. Itachi looked tired and unwilling to talk and Sasuke raised a brow. When Itachi placed a hand on his head, his eyes widened.

"You're fever has gone down tremendously. How are you feeling?" he asked, surprised that Sasuke had recovered so quickly. He didn't know whether to be happy or worried over it.

Sasuke sat up slowly. "I'm okay I guess...my body aches, and I'm still tired, but otherwise I don't feel too bad," he replied truthfully.

Itachi nodded, sitting down. "Alright then. We've got a new job, and it's going to need every helping hand. Will you be up to it?" he asked, and Sasuke nodded slowly.

"Yeah...what is it?"

"Search, rescue and possibly destroy."

"Sounds exciting," Sasuke drawled, and Itachi's lips twitched upwards.

"Indeed."

"So what was with Sakura?" Sasuke asked after a moment. Itachi kept silent, thinking, before he sighed.

"It's not our business as of yet," he said and Sasuke raised a brow at the odd answer. However, the look Itachi gave him told him not to pry. Shrugging, he pushed the blankets off himself and moved to get up.

"Are you sure you feel okay?" Itachi asked again, watching as Sasuke got onto his feet, still a bit wobbly.

"I'll be fine. I don't feel right about lying still..." the younger raven admitted, flexing his legs. Just then the door opened and Kakashi walked in.

"Oh you're up. That was fast," he said, nodding to Sasuke. He only shrugged in reply, burying his hands in his pockets.

"Hn."

Kakashi smiled, pleased that the boy seemed normal. "Well, come on. We'd better get everyone equipped. Sasori's handing things out now, so get your asses over to the lounge," he instructed and Itachi stood up.

"Right, right."

"Oh, and do you know why Naruto is here?" Kakashi asked, and Sasuke stiffened, his eyes widening.

"Naruto's here?" he asked slowly, and Kakashi looked at him in surprise.

"He didn't come visit? That's...strange," he trailed off, looking directly at Itachi and seeing the meaningful look. "T-then again, I'll bet he didn't want to disturb you, since you were asleep with a fever."

Sasuke was unconvinced, of course, and started to walk out. However, Itachi placed a firm hand on his shoulder.

"Itachi?"

"It's not out business as of yet, Sasuke. Just leave it alone," Itachi said sternly and Sasuke stared at him.

'_What the hell is he on about?_' he wondered, and shrugged his brother's hand off. "The dobe is here! I'm going to see him," he stated and strode out of the room. Itachi and Kakashi shared a look before the silver-haired man stepped inside and gently shut the door.

"What's going on?"

* * *

Naruto buried his face in his hands as he listened to Hidan go on and on about the beast that was apparently sealed inside of him. How could it be true? How could he have some demonic fox living inside of him, sleeping for the majority of his life before waking up now and causing trouble?

It was so farfetched, like something from a bad T.V show...but it was all real and happening.

His life...officially..._sucked_.

"So...let me get this straight," Jiraiya said, his voice filled with disbelief even though there was evidence before him. "You're saying...that Naruto has this all powerful demon inside of him, and he can, with proper training, use it against ghosts and people?"

Hidan frowned at the wording. "Well yeah, in a simplified sense. He'll be able to call it up and command it as if it were his spirit energy, like some psychics do."

"And he could use it to do what to people, exactly?" Jiraiya asked with narrowed eyes. Hidan shrugged.

"Screw with them maybe? Or if there's a bunch of asshole's giving him shit he can fuck them up with it."

Naruto's shoulders jerked and he glared up. "I wouldn't hurt anyone!" he snapped, and Hidan held up his hands.

"Whoa, okay Mr. Pacifist! I wasn't saying you had to fuck someone up, I was just saying you could. There's a difference, you twit."

Naruto placed his head in his hands, breathing deeply through his nose. It was all so much to take in. Jiraiya had a hand on his shoulder, squeezing in comfort.

"I think we'll be going now," the man said softly, standing and dragging Naruto up too. The blond didn't even register the goodbyes that were exchanged. He was so shaken up and unbalanced from this new information, he couldn't focus on anything.

Jiraiya led him out of the room to see Sakura standing by the door, looking anxious. When she saw Naruto, she swallowed lightly and assumed-correctly-that things hadn't gone quite the way the boy had hoped. Offering a sympathetic bow, she walked away, having other duties to attend to and thankfully distract her from anything unpleasant.

Naruto walked in a daze, Jiraiya having to literally drag him the right way. He could hear commotion from the lounge, obviously from the members getting ready for whatever job they had. He couldn't even relate to them anymore. It was like he wasn't even human.

His eyes widened.

'_Am I human? Or am I a demon?_' he wondered in horror, his eyes only growing wider at the very thought of him not being the same as everyone else.

Jiraiya felt the sudden tension in his son and looked down, his face tightening in concern when he saw the look of horror on Naruto's face. Quickly he bent down and grabbed his shoulders.

"Hey! Hey, Naruto!" he called softly, waiting until the terrified blue eyes looked directly at him before he spoke. "You're my son and I love you. This doesn't mean anything, alright? We'll live with it, and it won't change anything. I promise!"

Naruto stared at him, eyes darting around in hazy fear as the words registered. Then, he slowly relaxed and let a relieved, albeit nervous, smile curve his face.

"Thanks dad...that means a lot," he murmured and Jiraiya smiled.

"Now how about we go for some Ramen?" he asked and Naruto nodded. "Right, I'm going to go call a taxi. Just wait here for me, okay?" Again Naruto nodded and Jiraiya gave him a tight hug before walking into the next room to borrow the phone.

Naruto leant against the wall, taking slow and careful breaths. His hand came up to clutch at his stomach.

He was scared.

How could he not be? Learning he had a giant, fierce and very ancient demon sealed away inside of his stomach was enough to set any person on edge. What would happen now? Would everything change? Would he be able to live normally after learning about it?

So caught up in his thoughts, he didn't hear the footsteps walking towards him. However, an alarm went off in his head and he looked up in time to see a shadow lean over him.

"Hn. Fancy meeting you here."

Blue eyes widened and Naruto turned to look at Sasuke, seeing the familiar smirk and shine in those dark eyes. Something inside his heart cringed in pain at the familiar look. He knew...he just knew Sasuke was hiding something tremendous form him, and it was killing him to see those familiar faces and yet know something wasn't the way it used to be.

His pain must've shown on his face, as Sasuke's expression changed into one of concern. The raven stepped forward, reaching out.

"Naruto? Are you alright?" he asked, and gasped when the blond flinched away from his touch. His fingers curled around in a fist and he narrowed his eyes. "Naruto?"

Naruto looked away, the horrid feeling in his chest spreading to his stomach. He could almost hear a voice in the back of his head telling him to leave. It sounded friendly and caring, and he almost wanted to follow its advice and just walk away. But he knew Sasuke wouldn't let him do that...

Then again...did he really know Sasuke anymore?

Sasuke frowned, not at all liking the lack of response. Something was bothering Naruto, and it concerned him to see the blond so on edge. He reached out again, grabbing Naruto's shoulder harshly. "Dobe, what the hell?" he snapped.

Naruto's eyes widened before blazing angrily, and he felt his stomach heat up. Sasuke let out a yelp and pulled his hand back, staring at the blond with wide eyes. He held his hand gingerly, wondering why it felt as if he'd just slammed it onto a hot stove. Naruto was still glaring at him, and something about his eyes was different. They seemed...narrower and colder.

Sasuke was starting to feel nervous.

"Naru?"

"Sasuke," Naruto began, pleased that he sounded a lot more calm and demanding than he felt. "Is there something you should tell me?" he asked slowly.

Sasuke blinked hugely, internally panicking. Had Naruto found out about his seal? Did he know that there was a monster living inside of him? Or had he found out that he had been the one who attacked Kao, in a sense? He wasn't sure which was the answer, and so he replied carefully.

"No, nothing I can think of..." Immediately, he wanted to take it back when Naruto's eyes went lifeless.

"I see..." the blond trailed off, face devoid of emotion. "Well, I've got to go now. Goodbye."

Sasuke opened his mouth to say something, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him. Itachi watched as Naruto walked away, stiff and obviously unhappy. When he was out of sight, the oldest Uchiha looked down at his younger brother and frowned at seeing the nervous look. He sighed.

"You need to deal with that creature Sasuke," he began and the black eyes flared in anger.

"What did you call Naruto?" he snapped, and Itachi blinked before realization set in. His frown widened.

"I wasn't talking about Naruto. I was talking about the snake inside of you."

Sasuke slumped at the words, looking lost. "But...we've sealed him! What else can we do?"

Itachi shook his head. "Foolish little brother..._we_ can't do anything. Only _you_ can. That seal will hold Orochimaru off for a while, but he's going to return and he's going to be nasty. You have to defeat him yourself and banish him for good."

Sasuke looked up at his brother imploringly. "Itachi, I can't! I've got enough to deal with without having to fight some psychotic spirit in my head! Can't...can't you just use your Amaterasu on him or something?" he pleaded. The recent interaction with Naruto had completely thrown him, and his nerves were too on edge to return to the bastard he usually was.

Itachi looked down at his brother pitifully before schooling his face into one of seriousness.

"I can't defeat him for you..." he said as a breeze from a nearby window brushed past. "Defeat him yourself or else..." a few leaves blew in and fluttered past as Sasuke listened to his brother intently. His mouth parted in shock when Itachi finished, and he watched the older walk away.

"Or else you'll lose Naruto forever."

* * *

Kakashi pulled the van up to the street corner and put it in park. He leant back against his seat and looked over at the rest of the crew.

"Does everyone have their gear?" he asked, and there were noises of affirmative all over the van.

Kiba grinned as he held his new equipment excitedly. "I love these things!" he said, holding up the object.

Hinata reached out and pushed his hand down. "Kiba, it m-might go off. Y-you don't want t-to shoot someone!" she said.

Kakashi chuckled, checking his own pistol. They were really nothing more than pellet guns, but they had modified them to work against spirits by using small capsules of holy water as bullets as well as inscribing seals and ancient insignia on the guns themselves. Of course Kiba adored them, as he felt all badass holding the pistol.

Kakashi had made sure that everyone, even the technical crews and assistants had one, so that everyone could defend themselves. Even Neji had one, though he had insisted he wouldn't need it.

"Alright, remember to keep your radios on at all times and if anything, and I mean _anything_, goes wrong you call in immediately for back-up," he instructed and everyone nodded as they climbed out of the van.

From the other van, Kisame and Sasori were going over their equipment and the small electronic devices they would need along with Shino and Shikamaru.

"Okay so it's agreed, Shikamaru and Shino will stay up surface wise along with Chouji and keep a watch as well as record the camera footage," Kisame finalized and the three mentioned nodded.

"Shouldn't one of the R.A's stay up too?" Sasori asked, looking between Sakura and Ino.

The two girls looked at each other before Sakura raised her hand. "I have medical knowledge...should I go down to attend to any injures or stay up here to give directions?" she asked and Sasori turned to Kakashi for orders. The leader thought for a moment.

"Stay up here and give directions. I plan to send everyone in pairs at the least, so their partners and follow your directions. Everyone make sure Sakura's channel is always open so you can readily listen to medical instruction."

Grunts of acknowledgement were all that he heard as everyone got ready to head down the now opened man-hole and into the sewer system below.

"Everyone remembers the description of the two missing girls?" Kakashi called out, and once more people nodded. "Alright...let's go. Be careful everyone!" he called as he descended into the sewers.

Itachi was next and soon one by one everyone on the search party was in the sewers, flashlights ready and pistols pointing.

Sasuke scratched at his shoulder as he landed on his feet underground, his nose scrunching up at the stench. Beside him, Kiba was hissing in annoyance at the burning smell. Once everyone was down the ladder, Kakashi pointed out the teams.

"Kisame and Itachi, go left. Sasori and Deidara, you head to the right, third tunnel. Lee and Neji head through that tunnel there, and Ino and Tenten head through the tunnel on the far side over there. Hinata, Kiba and Sasuke will go in a group downwards. Everyone understand?"

Sasuke nodded along with the rest while Hinata and Kiba sidled up to him. He saw them link their hands, and his heart cringed at the memory of earlier.

'_Naruto...I can't lose him...I'll have to make things right somehow!' _he thought sadly, his hand tightening on the pistol.

"Come on Uchiha, let's get moving!" Kiba said, slapping Sasuke on the back. Sasuke grunted at the impact and glared at him, but nodded nonetheless.

Slowly, they started to descend the slimy concrete stairs that led deeper into the sewer.

The search was on.

* * *

"You realize, of course, that we are going to be so dead when she finds out right?"

"We've survived an abusive father, a car crash, a fight against a ghost and multiple hits from Tsunade-sensei. We'll be perfectly fine."

Naruto blinked at the voices from outside his window, his fingers deftly closing the book he'd been reading. After ramen, they'd come straight home and returned to their normal activities. He was happy that Jiraiya wasn't making a big deal over the news.

Sliding off his bed, he walked to the window slowly, wondering why there were familiar voices coming from outside.

"Just do it!"

"What if it breaks?"

"Just. Do. It!"

"Geez, fine stop tugging! God!"

Naruto frowned, sliding his window open and sticking his head out. He only saw darkness before something solid and gritty smacked against his forehead.

"OW!" his head jerked back and slammed against the window frame, making his eyes water and his hands shoot up to the area in a vain attempt to dull the ache. "FUCK!"

There were sounds of muffled laughter and hesitant apologetic hums before Naruto opened an eye.

"You guys! What the hell?.!" He hissed, glaring at the two teens standing below his window on the ground.

Kamurou made a 'sorry' gesture while Kao only snorted. "Get your ass down here! We need to talk to you!"

"Why don't you come up then?" Naruto snapped, his head still aching. Kao's mouth stretched into a knowing sneer.

"Because I know that once I'm finished, we're all going to have to go running off to save the Princess from whatever dangers she's about to face," he said and Kamurou gulped.

"I thought we were just informing him?" he strained and Kao shushed him by slapping his hand over his mouth.

Naruto stared at them, confused. However, he knew the twins well enough to guess it must be important for them to come all this way from...from...

"Holy shit! Kao, aren't you supposed to be in hospital?" Naruto asked and Kao shrugged.

"According to the doctors; yes. According to me; never again. So, are you coming down or must I climb up and drag your sorry ass down instead?"

Naruto bit his lip, peeking over his shoulder. He motioned for the twins to wait a moment and went to put on a jacket and some shoes. Carefully, he called out to Jiraiya.

"I'm going to bed now!"

"Right kid. Sleep well."

"Yeah, you too!" Naruto felt terrible for lying, but he knew Jiraiya wouldn't let him out at this time. Wondering why he was even listening to Kao of all people, Naruto turned off his light and walked to his window. Carefully, he pulled himself out; squeaking when he realized it was a lot higher than he thought. Grabbing into the drainpipe, he began to shimmy down, gasping and hissing every time he almost slipped.

When he finally reached the ground, his hair was on end and his eyes were feeling dry from being open so wide for so long. He turned around, seeing the twins standing ready to greet him, and swung his fist, smacking Kao straight in the chest.

"Ouch, dude! What's your issue?" the red head snapped, rubbing his chest. Naruto glared at him, noticing the bandage wrapped around his forehead and just visible through the loose hair hanging around his face. It was then he realized that he was wearing the same clothes from the night of the carnival.

"Did...did you guys really come here straight from the hospital?" he asked in shock, anger forgotten. Kamurou nodded, tightening his jacket.

"We had to talk to you urgently," he said by way of explanation before Kao interrupted.

"It's about your precious Uchiha. Naruto, he was the one who attacked me."

Naruto stared at Kao, seeing the honesty in his eyes. He sighed, curling in on himself.

"I...I had hoped it wasn't true."

Kao blinked. "You already knew?"

"I overheard him saying something like it...but he had sounded so scared I didn't want to believe that he had really done it," Naruto felt the coldness seeping into his heart. He couldn't believe it. It was all true; Sasuke had turned into something else now. He wasn't the Sasuke he had fallen in love with...

"Well then you'll be pleased to know he wasn't really the one who attacked me!" Kao said cheerily.

Naruto was on him a second later, rearing his fist back to punch the idiot in the face.

"Stop screwing with me Kao! One minute you say he did, and now you fucking say he didn't? Which is it? Are you getting some sort of satisfaction over my misery, you bastard!.?"

Kamurou pulled the angry blond off of his twin almost too easily, his eyes narrowed. "Hold it, Uzumaki! You should know by now that my brother hasn't been the best with words! Let us explain the whole story before you start throwing fists!" he snapped.

Naruto breathed heavily, glaring at them both. He didn't need their psychotic bullshit right now, he was already shaken over everything and he felt he had no control over anything in his life anymore. It was terrible.

Kao coughed a bit, standing up again and brushing himself off. He winced, touching his head lightly.

"Shit, another headache!" he sighed, before clearing his throat. "Right, let me try that again. What I mean is although Uchiha was the one who hit me, it wasn't his choice," he looked at Naruto and saw confusion. Growling at his own lack of communication skills, he tried again. "I'm saying the moron was like...possessed! That's it; he was possessed by a spirit!"

Naruto stared at him for a long moment before he let out a little chuckle.

"D-did you hit your head hard enough to unhinge your brain? What the hell are you talking about?" he asked in disbelief. Kao moaned in frustration and turned to his twin, trying to seek guidance. Kamurou sighed.

"Naruto, Sasuke was possessed by the spirit that killed Mizuru. That ghost is the one that really attacked Kao, using Sasuke's body as a puppet. And the chances are that that ghost is planning something bad for Sasuke!" Kamurou had closed his eyes during his explanation, waving his finger in a teaching motion as he spoke. It was only when he felt the tapping on his shoulder that he opened them and blinked when he found himself staring at the concrete wall of Naruto's apartment building.

"Huh?" he turned around, seeing Kao smirking at him.

"He started sprinting the moment you said Sasuke was a puppet," Kao said, jerking his thumb over his shoulder. Sure enough, Naruto's orange jacket and blond hair could be seen sprinting away at an impressive speed, heading for the city.

Kamurou frowned. "And I was just getting into it," he sighed and Kao laughed.

"Come on, we better go with. Naruto could use any help. Even if he loves Sasuke, he's still a chicken shit at heart, so it's good for us to go."

Kamurou nodded and the two red heads turned and ran to catch up with the blond as he headed towards the city.

* * *

**Reviews make my day! :D So how'd you like it? Ooh things are gonna get real good son! XD**

**See you all next chapter, ne?  
**


	16. Straying in the Dark

**Kaoru: Whoa...did you like, drink some inspiration juice or something? O_o what's with all the quick updates? You updated this not more than two days ago, and plus you posted two prompts... Dude?**

**Me: I dunno...I guess now that I don't have Online! gnawing at my time, I'm able to think up these stories a lot faster and get chapters done quicker, especially on the weekends.**

**Kam: The fans must be happy though. More reading for them!**

**Me: Indeed, inde-oh shit! The camera's rolling? *sweats* Uh, uh...uhm...Hi?**

**Kaoru: Smooth. ¬_¬ Anyway, here we have the next chapter of Rei-Senzai: Possession! We hope you all like it! ^_^**

**Warnings: Language, monsters, creepiness...yeah. :D**

**Disclaimer: I does not owneth! :'(**

**P.s- Hey Adrian Nite! XD I updated before four days passed. Keep to your end of the deal, ne? *hearts***

**Kaoru: *cough*reviewwhore*cough*  
**

* * *

**Straying in the Dark**

The slow tap of their shoes against the concrete echoed in the dim and damp tunnels and created a ghost follower. Sasuke kept his flashlight steady, his other hand crossing over and keeping his pistol aimed. Kiba and Hinata walked behind him, hands in a similar position as they kept watch.

They had been walking for almost ten minutes without anything to report; not that any of them were complaining. Kiba would often sniff or sneeze in annoyance, the horrid odour of the sewer burning his sensitive nose. Hinata had a frown on her face but kept any complaints of the less than pleasant surroundings to herself.

Sasuke edged ahead, reaching a turning. Staying close the wall, he stood and listened for a moment. Only the steady drip of water from a leaking pipe met his ears, and he carefully turned around and looked down the tunnel. It was gloomy, the beam of light illuminating floating dust particles and creating a mist cloud.

"This place is creepy," Kiba murmured as he took the lead in the tunnel. Hinata went second and Sasuke brought up the rear, occasionally glancing back in case something was following them. They reached the end of the tunnel and Kiba halted.

"Sshh," he hushed, eyes widened. The other two crouched slightly and Hinata slowly murmured.

"Byakugan!"

With her eyes, she surveyed the corridor ahead. She frowned, focusing harder before gasping. Kiba leant closer, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"What do you see?" he asked quietly and Sasuke also crouched closer, listening. Hinata closed her eyes, deactivating them in the process before she opened them and the worry was evident on her face.

"Nothing! I couldn't s-see a thing. There's...there's so much s-spiritual energy, and it's all t-the same! It's like a f-fog!" she whispered, and the two boys shared nervous looks. What could create so much spiritual energy to cause that type of effect on something as powerful as the Byakugan?

"Hang on," Sasuke said softly and edged past them, reaching the end of the corridor. He closed his eyes, concentrating for a moment before peeking around the corner, red irises spinning wildly.

Everything was thrown into a sharp red relief, and he observed the tunnel carefully. Indeed the amount of spiritual energy simply floating around was impressive, but Sasuke could also see the tunnel itself. He narrowed his eyes in confusion before shutting off the Sharingan and motioning for them to follow him.

They edged out into the corridor slowly and Sasuke walked over to the pipelines lining the side. He ran his finger over one and pulled it away, staring at the inky black substance that was left behind.

"What the hell is this?" he asked quietly and the others sidled up, each running their fingers over it and staring at it carefully. Kiba even took a short sniff before crinkling his nose.

"It smells like...smoke mixed with...a rotting corpse," he described and Hinata frowned while Sasuke sneered in disgust. "What? It does!"

"But w-what is it?" Hinata asked quietly, wiping the substance off after trying to use her Byakugan to examine it. However, she couldn't see anything when her eyes were activated. She was blind in this area.

"It almost feels like soot," Sasuke observed slowly, rubbing it between his fingers.

Something down the corridor clattered, and their heads snapped around to look; pistols pointing at the ready.

With baited breath, they waited for something to jump out but nothing gave them the pleasure.

"...Wait here for a moment," Sasuke murmured and walked ahead slowly while the other two waited. The raven reached the corner and took a breath before whipping around, gun aimed.

The tunnel was empty, and he frowned. He turned to look at the other two, opening his mouth to speak.

"It's cle-" his sentence was cut off when something wrapped around his throat and he was yanked off his feet to the side, down the tunnel he had just inspected.

Kiba shouted out when he saw Sasuke get pulled away, and within moments Hinata and him were chasing the raven, seeing the way he kicked and struggled against whatever had captured him.

Hinata took aim before firing a shot. The capsule burst against the wall, splashing water on Sasuke as he passed and the thing that was wrapped around his neck started to smoke just as an inhuman shriek sounded somewhere else in the tunnel.

Sasuke gasped for air as the thing let go of his neck and he was hauled to his feet by Kiba while Hinata fired another round after the thing, keeping it away.

"Shit, what the hell was that thing?" Sasuke coughed, rubbing at his throat and wincing at the pain in his back. No doubt he had scratches from being dragged over the jagged floor.

Kiba was already radioing the others. "I don't know, but we'll find out soon enough."

There was a crackling before Kakashi's voice spoke up. "This is Kakashi. What's going on?"

"Kakashi, it's Kiba. We made contact with...something!" Kiba said, glancing down the corridor again. Hinata and Sasuke kept their guns raised, watching both ends of the tunnel wearily.

"What is it?"

"We don't know...but it can attack from a distance. It dragged Sasuke quite a way before Hinata shot at the bond and made it retreat."

"Is everyone okay?"

"So far, yes. Everyone needs to watch their backs. These things could separate us easily if we're not careful!" Kiba said frantically, and another clatter sounded. Hinata gasped, starting to back away and shoving the other two.

"M-move! We have to move!" she hissed and the boys turned to look. Their faces paled at the sight of something large and black coming towards them through the gloomy dust clouds down the tunnel. They heard the heavy thuds of its steps, and it sounded as if it were on all fours. Judging by the way it moved, it probably was.

"Oh shit!" Kiba said as they started to run. "Kakashi, something's chasing us! It looks like a human crossed with a dog, but all black! No discernable features whatsoever!" he looked back as they ran down the tunnel, seeing the thing gaining. "And it's fast! Shit!"

Hinata and Sasuke fired at it, and it let out a horrible shriek as one of the capsules burst on its assumed face.

"Wait!" Kisame's voice rang out from the radio as they ran. Obviously Kakashi had put the radio channel to all of them. "Did you guys see anything that looked like soot, but smelled different?"

"Yes! Along the pipelines!" Sasuke said as they turned a corner.

"Oh shit," Kisame's voice said and Itachi's voice joined in.

"They're ghouls! We're up against ghouls!"

Kakashi cursed loudly. "This is going to be hard. Everyone be extra careful, and don't lose sight of your partners."

The sound of something shooting through the air met their ears and Sasuke cried out when something wrapped around his waist from the distance once again. Kiba and Hinata barely had time to scream for him when he was pulled into the dark so fast there was no hope of following. Kiba started to run after him anyway, but the thing chasing them was gaining and Hinata was running out of shots to spare on one enemy. The brunet cursed, not knowing what to do.

Just as the shadowy creature reached them, and Hinata pulled her gun out to aim once more and hope for the best, another shot rang out loud and clear from a joining tunnel, and the creature exploded in a loud shriek and a sudden burst of black smoke.

Hinata let out a harsh breath, turning her head to smile down at their comrade.

"Thank you, Neji," she breathed and Kiba nodded.

"Hn," Neji said, walking to join them with Lee following behind. "Where's Uchiha?"

Kiba's relieved expression vanished and he shot up. "He was dragged away again! We have to go!"

Neji nodded, worry lines creasing around his eyes.

"Let's hurry. We need to regroup as soon as possible."

* * *

Sasuke struggled against the bond around his waist, scratching at it with one hand and shooting behind him blindly with the other. Finally, he heard a shriek from the creature after a shot, and the bond weakened. He kicked it off, turning and shooting again. The shriek sounded before hurried thudding steps faded, indicating the ghoul had retreated.

He stood up and hissed, slouching slightly as his back stung from the cuts he'd received. Looking around, he gulped as he realized he had been dragged much further into the sewers. He'd even been dragged around a corner or two, but he couldn't be sure how many. After all, it's hard to focus on where you're going when you're trying not to go anywhere _at_ _all_.

"Shit!" he groaned, backing up to the wall and leaning against it while he caught his breath.

He reached behind him and pulled up his radio, only to gasp and stare at it in horror. It was completely trashed.

'_Of course it is! It was in your back pocket and you were dragged across the ground, you moron!_' he thought in frustration, hitting the broken object against his forehead at his stupidity. He stood still, eyes closed as he tried to think of what to do.

'_Okay...okay I'll find the nearest exit and get back up to the streets. Then I'll go back to the vans to let them know I'm alright and come down again to help._' He thought and nodded at his plan.

He heard a scratching, and immediately held his gun at the ready, but he kept his flashlight off. One thing he remembered when Itachi had told him about ghouls was that they were attracted to man-made light.

Well that and they enjoyed catching innocent people, dragging them around and slowly feasting off them for days at a time before returning to hibernation for a few decades.

Trying not to breathe to loudly, Sasuke edged forward down the tunnel. There were a few lights in the sewer, but most of them were blinking bulbs or perhaps a dull, sickening yellow colour that barely lit up their part of the wall let alone the actual tunnel. He kept to the shadows, knowing that although ghouls did live in the dark, they weren't experts at seeing in the dark. They relied heavily on sound as much as sight, and mostly caught their victims by listening.

Sasuke took another step before an idea came to him, and he slowly sucked in some air as he closed his eyes and concentrated.

'_Sharingan!'_

He opened his eyes and, like he had thought, the tunnel was now visible to him. Of course, everything was tinted with a red hue, but he could make out the outlines of things and see the spirit energy of the ghouls. A sharp gasp caught in his throat when he realized that there was an entire group of black, shadowy masses gathering around one of the flickering lights down the tunnel.

Feeling shivers run up and down his spine, Sasuke glanced around and saw a different tunnel branching off to the right. Keeping an eye on the group of shadowy creatures, he slowly started to step towards it.

'_So far so good...just a bit more!_' he thought as he neared the entrance.

He stepped down and something crunched; the sound echoing in the tunnel. He looked down in horror and saw a rat skeleton crushed beneath his feet with the empty eye sockets seeming to stare accusingly at him. His attention didn't stay on the discarded bones for long, however, when he heard the chorus of shrieks nearby.

"Oh fuck!"

He spun towards the tunnel, sprinting down it as fast as he could as he heard the thuds of the ghouls as they followed him. His eyes were hurting from using his Sharingan for so long, but he dared not switch it off and be blinded in the endless tunnels. He jumped over a small pipe across the floor before skidding to an unsteady halt as an idea hit him in that second. He ducked and grabbed the loose metal object before haphazardly throwing it down yet another branch of the tunnel. As the ghouls got closer, he slipped behind an alcove as quietly as possible while the pipe came to a landing and clattered noisily along the ground in the other tunnel.

The ghouls came thundering past and they followed the clanging of the pipe that was rolling down the hallway. Sasuke saw the black shapes vanishing down the tunnel and out of sight, but he didn't move until he was absolutely sure they were gone. He waited, breath held and eyes wide. Finally, he deemed it safe enough to leave and started to tip toe his way through the tunnel, keeping his eyes peeled for any objects that would make a noise.

'_I need to get out of here soon...I can't fight these things on my own,_' he thought as he started down yet another tunnel. '_What if I'm just going in circles? Shit, I hate this place!_'

Wandering in the dark, he kept his ears open in case a ghoul passed by.

'_What do I actually know about ghouls?_' he wondered, thinking back on the time Itachi had started to teach him about various different creatures. It had been soon after the orphanage incident, when Sasuke had realized he needed to actually learn what was out there.

* * *

_Itachi turned the page slowly. "So you understand about vengeful spirits then?" he asked and Sasuke nodded tiredly._

"_Hn, I got it," he sighed, resting his head in his hands. "What's next?"_

_Itachi shook his head, smiling slightly before looking at the title and grimacing. "Ghouls...nasty little shits these things are. You should hope you never have to deal with them."_

_Sasuke sat up slightly, his interest tapped. "Why? What's so bad about them aside from the obvious fact that they're supernatural scum?"_

_Itachi snorted at his wording before looking over the notes he had about ghouls and beginning to read._

"_Ghouls have been around since the 1300s, often gathering in underground areas such as caves, cellars and basements and underground tombs in cemeteries. Having no real form or shape; ghouls are described as large living shadows with blank eyes that move similar to an animal but could also be seen as a human figure. They are hibernating creatures that only hunt for food every ten years or so. Ghouls are created by a ritual of ill intent gone wrong. They hunt using their speed and ability to shoot tendrils at great distances to drag their victims away. Razor claws, hidden in the black mass of their bodies, are what they use to cut their victims open and feed upon their insides."_

_Sasuke gagged, staring at Itachi in disgust. "What the hell?" he murmured, and Itachi nodded in agreement._

"_It gets worse. Apparently, since ghouls hibernate and never go onto the surface, when they hunt they capture many victims and keep them alive for days, feeding off of them slowly to make them last longer until they fall into their hibernating state. When in hibernation, ghouls are seen as nothing but black dust on walls and floors and are therefore dismissed by the ignorant eye."_

_Sasuke leant back in his seat, rubbing his shoulder and looking at the notes in distaste. "Those things are like my fan girls; psychotic and scary as hell."_

_Itachi laughed as he turned over to the last little note on ghouls. "Let's see...ghouls can be killed by either dousing their bodies in holy water, or by burning them with a natural light. Although shadowy, they do have some form of a physical body, so when in direct contact there is the possibility of fighting them off. However, this is rare as they tend to travel in small swarms, overpowering victims that fight back."_

_Itachi snapped the notebook closed and shared a look with his brother._

"_Just like fan girls," they both chorused before shuddering violently._

* * *

Sasuke paused when he heard a noise up ahead. He looked up, focusing on the area ahead until his eyes cleared. They were starting to grow fuzzy from the pain of being used to long, but he still needed them even if he did have a horrible headache.

And his shoulder was hurting.

There, a few meters away, was a lone ghoul. It was hunched over and Sasuke swallowed when he heard a sickening crunch that cut off a shrill squeak. The ghoul was eating a live rat.

Feeling sick, he took a step back and his shoe scraped against the ground by accident. The ghoul looked up and Sasuke hissed.

As it started to move towards him, he gritted his teeth and raised the pistol. Taking aim, he fired a shot. It splashed over the creature, earning a pained shriek but still it kept coming. Sasuke fired again, the echoing bang of the gun ringing through the tunnel. He knew he would have to keep moving to avoid a swarm of the creatures catching him.

He fired a third time just as the ghoul lunged; nothing more than a large black shadow flying towards him. The small capsule burst against it, and a shriek pierced the air as the thing burst into a cloud of billowy black smoke.

Sasuke ducked under it, running through and away from the tunnel. His eyes were watering from pain by now and he knew he had to give his Sharingan a rest or else he'd be blinded for good.

He moved a long until he found a small alcove and ducked into it. Taking a breath he deactivated his eyes and slumped down, panting slightly as the tension around his eyes unwound and the pained tears leaked down his cheeks.

He was about to try and open his eyes to see if he could make any sense of his surroundings without the Sharingan when his shoulder started to burn. He gasped, clutching it and feeling the seal throbbing under his fingers.

Distantly, he could hear a deathly hiss in his mind.

'_Let me out! Let me out!_' it seemed to scream and Sasuke reached up to clutch at his head.

"No! No!" he groaned, pressing his mouth to his knees while he tried to hold in as much noise as possible. "I won't...I won't!"

He gritted his teeth again, glaring through the small tears still gathered in his eyelashes.

"I won't let you control me, you damn snake!"

* * *

His footsteps sounded so loud in the quiet streets. He was almost surprised that there were no cars driving around, but then again it was the dead of night and this area wasn't exactly a busy part of the city anyway. His jacket flapped in the wind as he ran, his hair flopping about and he could hear his two friends puffing along behind him.

The street lights left the roads in a steady glow, so there was no struggle to see for them.

"Hang on, hang on! Oh God, let's rest before I puke up my kidneys on the sidewalk!"

Naruto stumbled to a stop, turning to see Kao doubled over, hands on his knees while he panted and Kamurou hovering nearby, also breathing a bit heavily.

"Come on! We don't have time to waste!" Naruto said, hopping from foot to foot impatiently. He received a green-eyed glare in response.

"Need I remind you I came from the damn hospital! I've got more than a slight concussion, so excuse me if running at top speed makes me a little dizzy!" he snapped, but straightened up anyway. Kamurou was staring at him with worried eyes, but he shook it off and started to jog forwards. "Lead the way, Goldilocks!"

Naruto scowled at the nickname but continued to run.

He knew that the crew was doing a job near a high school in this area. Something in the sewers, or at least that's what he'd overheard while he was there earlier. Sasuke was somewhere down below them exploring the tunnels, with the others hopefully.

Naruto continued to run until he came to a man hole, and skidded to a halt.

He bent down, gripping the edges of it and pulling. It weighed a ton!

The twins came to a stop beside him, catching their breath for a moment before they too leant down and started to tug on the cover.

"Shouldn't we," Kao began with a huff as the cover lifted slightly, "maybe find the same cover they went through?"

Naruto shook his head, grunting as he pulled the cover up some more. "No time! I have to get to Sasuke right now! If that damn snake spirit really is possessing him I need to-"

"What? What exactly are you going to do, Naruto?" Kamurou asked as the cover gave way at last and clattered to the right. There was a multitude of rust around the edges showing it had been stuck down rather viciously.

Naruto paused, thinking over the question. What was he planning to do?

'_Kick his ass for lying, first of all,_' he thought angrily. "I...I don't know. I just have to do something!"

"Yeah, that's real romantic and all but unless you actually know that there is anything you _can_ do, you're just going to be throwing yourself into danger for no reason!" Kao said, crossing his arms. "I mean dude; you know the idea is bad if _I'm_ the one talking common logic here!" he added.

Naruto glared up at him, annoyed at all the questioning.

"Dammit Kao, I know that! But I can't just sit here and do nothing while Sasuke's in danger and suffering! So I'm going to go down there and help him in any way I can!" he snapped, slinging a leg into the sewer entrance. Kamurou grabbed his arm, returning his glare.

"Naruto! For crying out loud, we know that you love Sasuke and you want to help him but do you really think he'll be happy that you're coming into a potentially dangerous place without any protection just to end up asking him if there's anything you can do to help him? Don't you think that he's getting help already? From his brother and the people who actually know what the hell they're doing?"

Naruto shoved his arm off. "Look, you two don't have to come if you don't want! I can handle myself! I'm going in, end of story!" and before they could protest, Naruto shoved himself into the hole and out of sight.

Kao cursed loudly, kicking at the ground while Kamurou peered into the darkness in concern.

"That stupid, moronic, self-righteous, heroic, stupid, son of a mother's ball-sack, _stupid_ _jackass_!" Kao roared, punctuating each insult with a stomp of his foot. "He's got some kind of death wish!"

Kamurou looked over at him, frowning. "What should we do? We could try to find the members of Rei-Senzai and tell them?"

Kao chewed on his finger in frustration, his other hand coming up to fiddle with the bandage around his head.

'_I hate making these sorts of decisions..._'

* * *

Naruto grimaced as water sloshed around his feet. His nose burned from the smell and he spent a good while covering his mouth to avoid having to taste the foul stench too. He wandered through the dark sewers, his eyes wide as he tried to see.

'_Dammit, I didn't think about how dark it would be underground!_' he thought angrily, hating himself for not planning things out. He really hated it when the twins were right.

'_Okay hang on...hang on maybe..._' he bit his lip, wondering if he really could do it. If he did, there was no going back. There would be no pretending it wasn't there.

'_Sasuke or sanity, Sasuke or sanity?_' he thought in annoyance, weighing them up. But he already knew which choice he would choose. '_I hate being in love..._'

He paused, taking a deep breath and concentrating.

He stood there for ages, just thinking hard about what he wanted but nothing was happening. The steady sound of water running across the floor and the distant echoes of a machine or rats were all he could hear in the endless maze of tunnels ahead.

A large, ragged brown rat scampered out from a tunnel, its red eyes glowing in the dark. Its ears twitched and the pointy head turned to survey the still blond against the wall. The small creature slowly walked forwards, sharp nails tapping against the wet concrete. When it was within a few inches of the blond's shoe, it stuck its head further out, sniffing at the object curiously.

"AARGH! WHY ISN'T IT WORKING?.!" Naruto yelled in frustration. The rat was startled by the sudden noise and it jumped, landing on his leg and frantically clawing around it. Naruto felt something on his leg and panicked, hopping around and batting blindly. "Oh god what the hell is that?.!" He screeched. He hopped again, slapping down and managed to land a hit on the rat. It squeaked in pain before biting down on Naruto's thigh through his jeans. Naruto cried out, jumping back. His foot slipped on something slimy and wet and he went tumbling back. His arms flailed wildly and his eyes squeezed shut as he waited for pain to come.

Something soft appeared behind him and caught him.

"Oh sure, you can take care of yourself all right," a snide voice said and Naruto opened his eyes to see a light hovering over him. He blinked as his eyes adjusted and saw a pair of annoyed green eyes.

"Kao!" he cried in surprise.

"Blondie!" Kao echoed in mock excitement before shoving Naruto forwards. The rat squeaked, jumping off Naruto's leg and hissing. Kao frowned before stepping forward and easily booting the creature down the tunnel with a cry of "Piss off you overgrown hamster!"

"What are you doing here?" Naruto asked, rubbing at the sore spot on his leg. He was glad that Jiraiya had taken him to get a shot not too long ago. Kao huffed, holding the lighter in his hand a little higher to illuminate more.

"Helping your sorry ass, that's what." His eyes roamed down the tunnels. "Kamurou is going to find the crew members on the surface and tell them what you're doing. I'm here to assist you and make sure you don't panic and die from drowning in shitty water," he added, smirking at Naruto condescendingly.

Naruto grumbled, but had to admit he owed the red head. He did, after all, save him from getting soaked in shitty water just then. Sighing, he nodded and turned back towards the tunnel.

"We should go this way. Good thing you brought a light, I couldn't see," he said, deciding not to tell Kao his original plan to fix that. Kao snorted.

"Yes, I kind of realized that by all the screaming you were doing. I swear, if there are any ghosts down here you've already alerted them all to our presence."

Naruto paled slightly at the thought before shaking his head. "Come on, let's go," he murmured and the two started to walk down the tunnel, their steps echoing slightly off the stone walls.

'_Sasuke told me once that most of their jobs were busts...what are the chances of it being legit this time?_'

* * *

"Get it off me! Get it off me!" Ino screamed, struggling. Tenten growled, aiming her pistol.

"This is gonna sting, Ino! Just bare it!" she said before firing. The capsule burst on Ino's chest, the girl gasping in pain. However the water splashed over the bond around her chest and it withdrew, following the steps of the retreating ghoul.

Tenten helped Ino to her feet, keeping her eyes peeled for any more of the ghouls but it seemed they had all retreated for now. They'd managed to kill one while chasing off the other two. Ino winced, a hand coming to rub at her chest, but she sent a grateful look to Tenten for saving her.

"Girls? Hello, are you there?" Kakashi's voice came from the radio and Tenten pulled it out.

"Yeah we're here. We fought them off, but who knows when they'll come back," she whispered, looking around fearfully.

"Alright, you're close to the starting point. We're regrouping there, so hurry!"

"Roger!" Tenten and Ino began to backtrack the way they came from, keeping as quiet as they could while still moving quickly. They reached the tunnel leading to the starting point and broke out into a run. When they reached the area, they collapsed against the ladder to catch their breath. There were footsteps and they looked up to see Sasori walking into the area, Deidara following behind.

"Are you two alright?" Sasori asked slowly, eyes sliding from left to right as he surveyed the area. While the girls nodded, Deidara was radioing the others and Sasori went to stand at the entrance of the tunnel, keeping watch.

"Kisame and Itachi are on their way, un," the blond informed slowly as he put the radio away. "Kakashi is also on his way back, he's taking a longer route in case he finds anyone straggling along."

Sasori nodded, eyes narrowed.

"Duck now," he said suddenly and Deidara blinked. A sharp whistle went through the air and the blond barely had time to fall to the floor before one of the strange tendrils whizzed past. Ino and Tenten gasped in horror as it headed straight for them.

Sasori moved, swinging his arm out and flexing his fingers. Glowing strings appeared and soared towards the tendril, connecting with it. Sasori smirked and curled his hand before flipping his fingers upwards.

The tendril snapped in half and a deafening shriek was heard. Deidara turned towards the sound and fired three times. In the distance, they heard the shriek cut off and a cloud of smoke could barely be seen.

Sasori calmly withdrew the strings of spiritual energy; briefly flexing his hand again to rid it of a slight cramp from the sudden movement.

The girls slumped with relief while Deidara climbed to his feet with a grin.

"Great work, Danna! Un!" he cheered and Sasori smirked triumphantly, looking as smug as ever.

"It was nothing," he breathed slyly, crossing his arms. Something fell from the entrance above and landed right onto his head, invoking an undignified squawk from him as his hands shot up to clutch at the bump. "Holy shit!" he gasped, eyes watering from the impact.

Shikamaru's head peeked in from the hole above.

"We've got a problem," he said slowly; completely ignoring the cursing red head below him.

"What kind of problem?"

Ino fell off the ladder in her shock as Itachi and Kisame walked into the area. The Uchiha looked around, his face tightening. "Where's Sasuke and the others?"

Tenten shook her head, saying she hadn't seen them. Kisame placed a hand on Itachi's shoulder and the Uchiha bit the inside of his check to stem the worry.

"What's the problem, Shikamaru?" he asked by way of distraction. '_Sasuke, you'd better be alright..._'

Shikamaru let out a sigh, the word troublesome hidden in there. "Kamurou just arrived and said that Naruto and that Kao person went into the sewers in search of Sasuke," he repeated monotonously just as another face appeared. Kamurou looked down at them apologetically.

Kisame gaped. "They went into the sewers without any weapons? Why the hell did they do that?" he demanded even as Itachi cursed and radioed Kakashi to inform him.

Kamurou frowned. "Naruto is searching for Sasuke because of...uhm..." he glanced around, unsure if he should reveal the whole thing. "He went in search of him to help him. My brother went with him to offer assistance. I think they thought this would be a bust job for you..." his face tightened, "...It's not a bust, is it?" he asked softly.

Kisame shook his head, gripping his hair. "It's the furthest thing from a bust! There's dangerous creatures down here, and they've got no protection? Fuck!"

Itachi bit his lip. '_That's not entirely true. The creature in Naruto will most likely protect him and the other boy if Naruto wishes it...but we can't rely on that. We have to search for them...and for Sasuke.'_

"Itachi, I want you and Kisame to go back and search for the rest. I'll meet up with you. The others must go back to the surface. Understood?" Kakashi said through his radio and he received affirmatives. Sighing, he started to radio Kiba, keeping the noise low while he walked through the dark tunnel.

"Hello? Kiba here."

"Kiba, are you and the others close to the entrance?" he asked, ducking under a pipe. There was a scratch from down the hall and Kakashi pointed his pistol with barely a glance, firing three times and listening to the ghoul vanish.

"We're heading there now," Kiba's voice said and Kakashi frowned.

"...No sign of Sasuke?" he asked softly and there was an uncomfortable silence on the other end.

"We did a circle sweep of the area, but the ghouls are starting to gather around us...we caught no sign of him..." There was obvious pain in Kiba's voice, and Kakashi knew that it was hard for the boy to admit to his failure. Undoubtedly Kiba felt responsible for Sasuke's capture.

"We'll find him, and the missing students. We just need to regroup and retry," Kakashi said forcefully.

Once he had ensured that Kiba and the others were back at the entrance, he turned and started down a new tunnel.

"Let's hope that things will go smoothly."

* * *

**How was it? Tense? Exciting? I'd love to hear from you all! ^_^**

**Kaoru: why the hell do I have a bad feeling...**

**Kam: it may have to do with the fact that Sensei was laughing psychotically a few minutes ago after she was brainstorming over the next chapter...**

**Kaoru: Ah yes...I didn't like the look she gave me. O.o;;**

**Kam: NO ONE likes it when she gives them that look...it always makes you feel like you're about to get bent over and effed.**

**Me: B] ufufufufufuuu...**

**See ya guys next time!  
**


	17. The Monsters Within

**Oh Shizzle, here we go! NEXT CHAPTER IS OUTTAMUTHAFUGGAS! ERRERRERRRRRAAAHAHAH!  
**

**Kaoru: ._.**

**Kamari: ._. ...who the hell gave her sugar? WHO WAS IT?**

**Stone: *frowns awkwardly* She said she wanted some chocolate, and, ya know, she pulled out dem puppy dog eyes and I was just like...ya know...**

**Me: HYAKHYAKHYAK! OwO THE WORLD IS SO PERTY TODAY!**

**Kaoru: O_o;; Dude, she's even worse than normal...the hell kinda chocolate was that?**

**Me: TO ARMS! THE MONKEYS ARE LOOSE! GATHER THE BANANA'S SMITHSON!  
**

**Stone: It may have contained traces of liquor...**

**Me: DX ME NO LIKELY LICK-HOUR!**

**Kamari: Christ, I'm going to the bombshelter until she calms down. *leaves quickly***

**Me: :D I wanna dress someone up like a FRENCH MAID! :D**

**Kaoru: I'M SO OUTTA HERE! GOOD LUCK STONE! *zooms after Kamari***

**Stone: Oh shit... *sigh*, we hope you enjoy this chapter, things are gettin' real now. Uh, there was something important...oh yeah, please go onto her profile and vote on the new Poll she has up. It concerns Agent Duck-Butt...and, uh...yeah that's all for this chapter I guess? *is dragged off to change room* Oh gawd...please don't make me wear the lace panties again... DX**

...

**Warnings: Language, supernatural, demons.**

**Disclaimer: JIGGLYPUFFS BITCH! THEY STEALIN' MAH CUPCAKES! DX (high!Juura-speak for: I don't own Naruto characters)  
**

* * *

**The Monsters Within**

"_Double, double, toil and trouble,"_

Naruto's eyebrow twitched slightly as he walked along the concrete path in the dark and damp tunnels. There was a faint trickle of water running in a small crevice, and the occasional screech of a rat could be heard alongside the soft tap of their shoes.

Well that, as well as Kao's whispered singing.

The red head had, after approximately five minutes of walking, decided he was tremendously bored and so he started to hum and sing random songs. Naruto had been fine with it at first, since it gave him a form of comfort in the scary place.

But after ten minutes of hearing the strangest songs he was starting to get a bit frustrated.

"_Something wicked this way comes!" _Kao finished, nonchalantly kicking a small piece of stone into the tiny stream of sewer water. Naruto rounded on him, hissing.

"Seriously, Kao? 'Something wicked this way comes'? Are you trying to freak me out?" he whispered harshly and Kao blinked before frowning.

"Geez, pull that thong out your ass and relax. It's just a song," he sighed.

"Where the hell did you even learn it?" Naruto asked with narrowed eyes as they resumed their walk, turning down another tunnel.

"Ma taught it to me and Kamurou. She was busy writing some story or something, and she was singing that song. We asked about it so she taught it to us," he shrugged. "It's catchy."

Naruto shivered. "It's creepy. Sing something else!"

Kao shook his head at the blond but agreed.

"_In a crooked little town, they were lost and never found-"_

"OH COME ON!" Naruto cried in exasperation. "'Lost and never found'? Dude!"

Kao groaned in annoyance, shoving against Naruto's back to make him move.

"You're such a wimp. How the hell did you manage to come down here all alone at first anyway?" he asked, still shoving the reluctant blond down the hall while holding the lighter above his head. The little flame illuminated quite a lot considering its miniscule size. The boys were privy to the sight of grime clotted walls and corners, and dodgy looking piles of something dark and slimy looking scattered here and there. Rat corpses could also be seen every now and then, the little critters on their sides and unmoving.

Their steps echoed in the otherwise empty tunnel, the sound bouncing off the stone walls and making its way down the corridors. They were passing a branch off tunnel when Naruto froze, eyes widening. Kao, who had been examining a strange marking running across the wall, bumped right into him and dropped the lighter. It clattered to the floor and a splash was heard. Both boys stared at each other in the dark, realizing their only source of light had just fallen into the shit-stream and was probably floating away as they stood there.

"Oh crap..." Kao breathed slowly, straining to see in the dark. "That was Ma's lighter. She's going to be so pissed at me."

Naruto grabbed the front of his shirt, his face pale and white even in the dark. "_That's_ what you're worried about? We're in the freaking sewer with no sort of light and there are possibly _dangerous_ things down here! And you're worried about what _mommy_ is going to do to you!" he said, his voice so high it was cracking in parts.

Kao tried to pry his hands off his shirt, grunting. "Yes! Frankly, I'm more scared of my mother when she's pissed off than some flesh eating zombie ready to devour my brain when I'm tied to a chair. Monsters I think I can handle. An angry, pms-ing, psychotic woman who almost has full legal guardianship over me? No way," He broke away from Naruto's hold, straightening his shirt.

The blond stared at him in the dark, incredulous. He was about to comment when they heard something in the distance.

Both of their heads whipped around, listening intently. It sounded like someone calling from somewhere.

"That's the sound I heard earlier..." Naruto murmured, remember why he had stopped in the first place. Kao sent him a confused look in the dark.

"You heard that before? I wouldn't have heard it at all if it hadn't been silent," he mused and Naruto shrugged lightly.

"I have better hearing."

"Since when?"

"Since now?"

"Bullshit," Kao hissed disbelieving but let it go when another faint cry came. "Is it just me or are they getting louder?" he asked softly and Naruto nodded.

He was tense, trying to hear every little thing he could. He heard the steady trickle of water in the stream beside them as well as the squeaks of rats in the distant tunnels. A strange shiver was running up and down his spine and cautiously, he took a step forward.

As Naruto made his way down the tunnel, he absently reached up and placed a hand on his stomach, feeling the seal reappear. Almost as soon as it did, his eyes adjusted to the light until he could almost see as if it were daytime. Gasping at the sudden change, he stepped back and accidently stood on Kao's foot. The red head put up quite the brave show of not yelling out in pain, instead biting his lip and punching the wall repeatedly to express the pain.

But Naruto paid little mind to his friend's show, instead looking around and testing his newfound eyesight.

'_I was right...the Kyuubi's power would let me see in the dark. Why didn't I think of touching the seal earlier when I first tried?_' he thought, cursing his bad thinking skills. He waited for a few minutes, wondering if the seal was going to vanish like it normally would when he moved his hand. However, his eyesight stayed the same and he could feel the seal.

'_That's great, but how do I switch it off then?_' he wondered. He squeezed his eyes shut to think and felt the seal vanish. When he opened his eyes it was to the darkness once more.

'_So that's how! Great!_' he smirked, feeling pleased with all his new discoveries. Running a hand over his stomach, he waited for the room to become clear before reaching back and tugging on Kao's arm.

"This way," he whispered and led the red head down the tunnel.

They turned right, Naruto easily seeing the mess that was the left tunnel. It looked like it had partially caved in at one point. As they half-ran down the right tunnel, the faint cry came again.

"Okay, I definitely heard the one!" Kao mumbled, looking around. His eyes had somewhat adjusted to the light but he was still struggling to see. He wondered as to why Naruto seemed to be fine all of a sudden, but decided against asking. The blond had always found ways of surprising him; honestly he _wasn't_ looking forward to the next one.

"I think it's this way!" Naruto said and they began to move towards the sound. "Maybe it's Sasuke, or one of the crew members!" he added with a hint of hope. Kao snorted lightly.

"Or maybe it's the ghost luring us into a trap!" he suggested and coughed when Naruto harshly elbowed him in the stomach. "Watch it Goldilocks!"

"Shut up!"

They rounded another corner and saw a flickering light ahead. Naruto's eyes hurt at the added brightness and he squeezed them shut, waiting for the seal to release before opening them again.

Kao took the lead, narrowing his eyes. In the brief flickers of light, he could make out something against the wall of the large chamber ahead.

"H-Help...someone..."

"Holy shit!" Naruto hissed as the voice was clearly heard. The two hurried forwards, into the cavernous room. They skidded to a halt, the flickering light making the scene before them ten times more frightening.

On the wall were several people, held up by strange black tendrils that seemed to stick to the wall like slime. Two of them were young girls, and the last three looked to be maintenance workers for the sever, judging by their clothes. Most of them were unconscious but for a high school girl with spiky brown hair. Her face was pale and dirt stained, and there was a dried trail of blood on her arms where the tendrils were keeping her glued to the concrete wall. Scared eyes looked down at them before they widened in realization.

"H-hey! Help me! Help us!" she gasped and the boys snapped out of their horror to move forward.

"Damn, what the hell happened to you?" Kao asked as they approached. She was strung up higher than they could reach and for a moment they looked around trying to figure out how to get up to her.

"M-monsters! T-they attacked me and my friend and dragged us here!" the girl whimpered, shaking. Naruto was still trying to find a way to climb when Kao cursed and walked straight up to the wall.

He turned and knelt down, holding out his hands in a brace. "Oi, Naruto. Here, I'll hold you up," he said and the blond quickly climbed up. Nervously, he began to pull at the tendrils, letting out a whine.

"They feel like slimy worms!" he hissed in disgust as he tore at them. Kao huffed beneath him, shaking his head.

"Suck it up, and get her loose!"

The first tendril unstuck at last, falling to the ground with a wet slap. Both boys shuddered in disgust at the sound while Naruto quickly set to work on the second one.

Finally, the tendrils were gone and the girl dropped to the floor, collapsing and panting.

Naruto climbed down and they sat beside her, looking at her injuries. She had a few deep cuts on her arms and legs, and some dried blood was on her chest. When they asked her about it, she pointed shakily to one of the guys.

"T-they...they b-bit him and it s-splashed onto me," she stammered. Kao turned towards the guy, reaching out to prod at his face.

"GAH!" The red head slipped in his shock while Naruto and the girl jumped harshly at the sudden cry. The man looked down at them with fearful eyes, slowly seeming to register that they were human and not the strange monsters that attacked him. "O-oh God, help me please!" he whined.

Recovering from the fright, Naruto quickly moved to help the man down. There were groans as the others slowly woke up as well, and together with Kao and the first girl's help, they managed to free everyone.

The two other men were badly injured, barely able to stay awake let alone stand. The other high school girl was battered and bruised, her hair matted with blood. She was weak, only staying awake long enough to thank them before she blacked out again in her friend's arms.

"Okay...we need to think of a way to get everyone up to the surface," Kao mumbled and Naruto nodded in agreement.

"We could use help...I don't know if I can carry more than one person, and even then it's an 'if I can' carry one person," he said softly.

The high school girl, who had introduced herself briefly as Satoko, fiddled with her skirt. "I think I can carry Nao by myself," she said, stroking her friend's hair slowly, "and I think Kujo-san can walk on his own," she nodded to the first man, who gave a weak shrug.

"I might be able to help...but my left arm's broken. I'll need my good arm to climb with," he mumbled, wincing when his injured arm was moved.

Naruto placed a hand over his mouth, thinking hard about what they could do. He felt like the world was against him. He wanted, no needed, to find Sasuke. Not only because they needed to talk about a shit load of things, but something in his gut was telling him the bastard needed his help. It was the same feeling he'd gotten ages ago at the orphanage, when he'd decided to help Sasuke despite his fear of the ghosts haunting the building. It was also the feeling he got when the demon contracts had gone around the school with Sasuke's name written on half of them.

But he couldn't just abandon these injured people. They need help, and it was his nature to help those in need. He was torn on what to do!

'_Shit...shit shit! Come on, what should I do?'_ he thought frantically when movement caught his eye.

Snapping his head around to look, he saw a shadow in the flickering light in a nearby tunnel.

"Hey, is that...," he narrowed his eyes before they lit up at the familiar shape of the shadow. "Sasuke!"

Kao looked up from his inspection of Kujo-san's arm at the shout, and he blinked at seeing Naruto scrambling to his feet.

"O-oi, Naruto! Where are you going?" he hissed, also standing. Naruto turned to him.

"I saw Sasuke just then. He must be exploring the tunnels nearby. I'll go fetch him and he can help us! Most likely he can call the others too and they'll come to help as well. Just wait here for me!" he didn't allow room for argument, instead turning and darting into the dark tunnels where he'd seen Sasuke's shadow retreat.

Kao reached after him, unfinished protests falling from his mouth but Naruto was already out of sight. The red head stared with wide green eyes in the direction he'd run before his cheeks coloured red in anger. He clenched his fists, grinding his teeth together and jerking his head back and forth several times before finally, he turned around, knelt down and buried his face into Satoko's chest.

"GODDAMN SHIT TITS BOLLOCKS! FUUUUCK!" he roared in frustration, the sound muffled by the girl's voluptuous chest. He pulled back, panting in suppressed rage and ignoring the mortified squeaking of the girl before him. "That shit-head is just asking to get ass-fucked!" He ran a hand over his face, trying to wipe away the annoyance and frustration before sighing and looking at the others.

'_I'm going to kill him. No more hesitation, I'm going to fucking kill him after this!_'

* * *

Naruto searched the tunnels, trying to find which way Sasuke had gone. With his improved hearing and eyesight, he was able to move through the tunnels with relative ease. He heard footsteps from a branch off tunnel to the right and he darted down it. The prospect of seeing Sasuke was exciting after being in this dark and scary place for a while now. Although things with Sasuke were tense, and they had a lot to explain to each other and sort out, he still loved the asshole and wanted to see him as much as he could.

And he was more determined now than ever to make sure Sasuke returned to being the asshole he knew and fell in love with first.

He turned a corner and there he was, standing at the end of the tunnel tall and proud like always. He wasn't even holding a flashlight, he was just walking with his hands in his pockets. Naruto grinned, thinking to himself how brave Sasuke was.

'_Smug asshole probably thinks he can take on whatever's down here!_' he thought to himself, shaking his head slightly.

He started to jog forwards but paused when his shoes splashed in something. Looking down, he frowned when he realized that this area was slightly flooded. Shrugging, he continued to jog down the corridor, his smile returning when he saw Sasuke perk up.

"Sasuke! You bastard, I need to talk to you!" he called out, his voice warm even though the gravity of the situation was bad.

However, as he reached Sasuke, it felt as if a brick had fallen to the bottom of his stomach, and he froze solid, eyes widening to epic proportions as a feeling of dread engulfed him.

Sasuke turned around, a smirk on his paler than normal face and his eyes shone brightly in the dark...like golden lanterns in a dark night.

"S-Sasu..." Naruto began, but he already knew...

"Hello there, Naruto-kun," 'Sasuke' hissed before raising his hand.

Naruto cried out as he flew backwards, colliding with the wall before falling to the ground with a splash.

...This was _not_ Sasuke.

Coughing, Naruto pushed himself up onto his knees, shaking his head to try and get rid of the dizziness from the blow. He looked up, water dripping down the side of his face. His clothes were soaked, and he shivered from the freezing cold.

Sasuke walked towards him, hands in his pockets again. His skin was sheet white and it looked to be cracking in some places; dry and...dead. His lips were pulled back into a smile, and occasionally a pink tongue would peek out and lick around his mouth like a snake. His yellow eyes shone in the dark as he knelt down, his face level with Naruto's. Naruto backed away, hitting the wall. Fear and another, strange, sensation was running through him as he stared at the face he loved...but it was different. Even though he could see it was Sasuke, he could also see a different face, as if Sasuke's face was transparent and there was another face beneath.

A cold hand reached out and gripped his chin, forcing him to make eye contact. He breathed heavily, trying to pull away but the grip was too strong.

"Hmm...What's the matter, Naruto-kun?," Sasuke grinned, his eyes glinting with sadistic amusement, "Snake got your tongue?"

Naruto glared at him, shivering from cold and inner panic. The next thing he knew, he was skidding across the flooded floor, coming to a rest face first. He pushed up, gasping for breath and spitting out water. There was a scratch on his cheek from the floor, and he felt his lip was bleeding too. Coughing out filthy water, he turned his head in time to see the foot heading straight for him. With a yelp, he pushed himself back, toppling over ungracefully and avoiding the kick.

A laugh like dead leaves on gravel sounded in the small room, echoing slightly off the far away roof.

"This won't do, you little pest. Aren't you going to at least fight back?" Sasuke jeered, smirking wildly. "Sasuke-kun would be so disappointed in his dear Dobe-"

"Don't you dare call me that!" Naruto spat, clenching his fists tightly. 'Dobe' was Sasuke's pet name for him...Hearing that endearment come from the mouth now tainted by the spirit of a snake was too much. "Only Sasuke...only Sasuke can call me that!" he panted, pushing himself to his knees.

The raven tilted his head mockingly. "But Naruto-kun... I am Sasuke," he grinned.

"No you're not!" Naruto ran forwards, steps splashing loudly as he made a wild lunge at the raven. He must have caught the ghost off guard as they both went tumbling to the floor, splashing into the water. However, it only lasted a second before it felt like a wave of air pushed him upwards. Naruto cried out as he flew through the air. He must have lifted five feet off the ground before falling back down. The water shot up around his body upon impact, raining down like a fountain on him. He lay still, his head spinning from the hit and his muscles aching from the abuse. He heard the steps of the raven as he approached, and his eyes slid shut. He didn't want to have to see Sasuke's face...because it wasn't Sasuke. It wasn't _his_ Sasuke anymore.

"Who are you?" he breathed as the steps came to a stop by his head.

"Hn," his heart clenched at the familiar grunt and his ground his teeth together, "...My name is Orochimaru, if you must know."

Blue eyes slid open to focus on the face. Now that he knew his name, it was like the veil that was Sasuke's face had vanished. He could only see the disfigured face of Orochimaru, as if the raven was wearing his face as a mask.

"...You killed Mizuru..." Naruto mumbled and Orochimaru shrugged.

"Yes, I did. It was not my original plan; that little girl's anger just fuelled it," yellow eyes stared down at him, uncaring. "What else?"

Naruto took a shuddering breath, "...What have you done to Sasuke?"

There was the smirk again. "Sasuke is my vessel, if you will. Through his body, I will be able to live on. Just think of all the things I could do with my powers in the living world," there was a delighted shudder and Orochimaru's eyes widened in excitement. "The possibilities are...delicious."

Naruto clenched his fist, his hand tightening around the object he had sneakily grabbed from the floor.

"...I won't let you use Sasuke for your own gain...even if I have to kick his ass to kick yours!"

He swung, the rusty, dislodged pipe splashing dirty water straight into the raven's pale face. Naruto pushed to his feet when the pipe made contact with Sasuke's side, sending him to the floor in a splash. The blond turned and fled from the room, running down a side tunnel. He heard Orochimaru let out a roar and his blood turned cold when he heard answering shrieks from the depths of the dark labyrinth. His breaths came out in pained gasps and he reached a hand to his chest. It almost felt like he had a broken rib or two. Biting his already bleeding lip, he pushed past the pain and kept running.

The journey seemed endless, darkness surrounding him from all sides. Aside from the splashes of his own steps, he heard the multiple rush of other steps, and realized with horror that the monsters in the sewers were chasing him. Fear was clawing at his heart and soul, but even so he forced himself to look behind him.

Shadow shapes with blank white eyes were chasing him, splashing through the water and shrieking.

He let out a shriek of his own without consent and turned, sprinting down the corridor. His foot slipped on something and he fell face forward to the floor. Panicked and frightened, all composure left him as he splashed and struggled to his feet, taking off down the dingy corridor as if hell itself were chasing him.

He turned sharply, hearing a whistle before a tendril similar to those that had kept Satoko and the others stuck to the wall came shooting past, missing his head by mere inches. Drawing in a high pitched squeak of breath he entered the large, much flooded chamber. There was a large pipe on one side, gushing water out. He fought against the weak current, seeing another chamber behind large iron-barred walls. He ran along them until he found a simple latch gate. He shoved through, turning and slamming the door closed and sliding the latch down.

The creatures slammed against the bars, shrieking and making a racket. More tendrils shot out but Naruto scrambled back and avoided them. He sat on his knees, panting for breath as the things clattered noisily against the bars.

'_Oh God...help...someone help me!'_ he thought frantically, reaching up to clutch at his ribcage. There was definitely a broken rib. He could feel it bounce back. He choked and coughed into the water below, trickles of blood streaking out.

Suddenly, he heard a hiss and looked up. On the far side to the right, he saw Sasuke standing amongst the monsters. His eyes widened as he watched the raven walk calmly towards him. Pale yellow eyes stared at him impassively, and Naruto was frozen in place as the creatures moved out of the way until Sasuke was standing in front of the gate.

"...You know," the raven began, his voice holding a hiss to it. But it was so similar to Sasuke's smooth voice as well. Naruto found tears threatening to spill. He wanted his bastard back.

"Ghouls make such good pets," Sasuke continued and motioned to the black shapes around him. "They can sense when a more powerful creature is among them, and they obey it without question," he smiled almost cheerily. "Interesting isn't it?"

Naruto coughed again in response, his fingers pressing against his chest. He clenched his other fist as the raven continued.

"Another interesting thing...did you know that Sasuke-kun is still here with me? I suppose you could say he is...in the passenger's seat while I'm in the driver's seat. I'll tell you now...he put up quite the struggle to stop me from taking over but in the end, even the pathetic seal those moron friends he has put on him couldn't keep me away. And his will alone wasn't strong enough to hold me back," Orochimaru shrugged, but Naruto's eyes stared at the floor.

'_Sasuke...Sasuke is there...Sasuke can hear me then!_' he thought, looking up. "SASUKE!" he yelled, flinching at the pain. "Sasuke, if you can hear me you have to fight this dick-head! You're stronger than that Sasuke! I..I need you!"

Orochimaru was watching him, an amused smirk on his face. "Keep screaming, perhaps he will eventually be able to respond," he said nonchalantly, fingers sliding across the bar until they came to an ominous rest on the bars.

Naruto's eyes widened in horror as he realized what the snake planned to do. He slid back, gasping for breath now. "Sasuke! Please, teme, please! You can beat this! Oh God," his breath hitched in terror as pale fingers slowly began to pull the latch up tauntingly. "SASUKE! PLEASE HELP ME!"

The latch was flipped open and the door swung inwards as the ghouls charged forward.

Naruto let out a scream as he was engulfed by the swarm, claws tearing at him. He struggled against them, but they surrounded him.

Yellow eyes watched impassively as the blond was seemingly swallowed by the shadowy ghouls kicking and screaming and bleeding. Behind those yellow irises, however, a pair of panicked black eyes were streaming with tears.

"_NARUTO!" Sasuke screamed, hands clawing at his own chest. He felt like he was locked in a cage, watching things from a window. He had seen everything, and had been screaming and kicking and fighting for the past half hour trying to take back control of his body but it was no use. Orochimaru's mere spiritual energy was enough to push him down and keep him locked away. He clawed at the walls of his mental cage, tears running unabashed down his cheeks as he watched Naruto get attacked by the ghouls. His heart was ripping in two as his dream from so long ago became a frightening reality._

"_NARUTO! NOOOOOOO!" _

_Suddenly, it was as if all sound was sucked from the room. Sasuke looked up, his head having dropped down in despair before, and he blinked at the bright light he could see. Warmth surrounded him, and he gasped when he heard a faint whisper from the depths of nothingness._

"_Teme..."_

_Then there was a roar and Sasuke screamed._

Orochimaru took a step back, his face twisting into an expression of surprise when fire suddenly appeared, swirling around the ghouls who shrieked as they were burned by the natural light, exploding one by one into clouds of nothingness. The red, yellow and orange flames formed a large swirling dome around them, blocking Naruto and the soon to be dead ghouls from view. Orochimaru frowned, stepping back again as the water on the floor began to bubble and boil.

Suddenly a pulse exploded through the air, and Orochimaru hissed, raising his pale-borrowed arms and blocking himself from a wave of pure heat. His hair flew about his face, and he felt the already fragile skin of his vessel peel a bit more at the sudden intense heat.

Narrowed eyes watched as the flames exploded outwards, curling and writhing to form nine long, flaming tails. Standing there, doubled over, was Naruto. His hair was whipping about wildly, his clothes steaming as they dried rapidly and fluttered about. Slowly, oh so slowly, the blond's head rose up.

Long, sharp canines poked out from chapped lips, and the whisker marks on tan cheeks were deep and black, vividly pronounced than from what they used to be. Eyes were lined with deep black rings and the blue irises had now bled to a bright crimson red with thin slits for pupils. With every huff of breath the blond took, small streams of fire would billow out, moving through the air to join with the flaming tails lighting up the corridor. The fire seemed to curl around him, stopping just short of his body. Despite the close proximity of the fire, his skin wasn't burning.

Orochimaru looked down at his vessel's arms, seeing the reddening skin. He looked back up at the flaming monster before him, seeing the way the fire continued to grow until there was literally a flaming creature hovering around the blond. Three of the tails curled around Naruto almost protectively as those red eyes glared through to Orochimaru.

Sighing, the snake slid back, a layer of purple spiritual energy leaking out and creating a thin shield over his vessels' skin. He raised his hand, a stream of water rising with the motion.

"So...it seems you have an interesting pet within you, Naruto-kun," he drawled coldly and the tails flickered and swished about as Naruto took a wobbly step forward, growling and snarling.

"But then again," yellow eyes narrowed. "You're not Naruto-kun anymore, are you?"

Those red eyes scrunched in anger and a deep, rumbling growl reverberated through the room.

"_Let...Sasuke...go..." _The faintest hint of Naruto's voice could be heard beneath the feral tenors.

Orochimaru smirked, raising his other hand. The boiling water at his feet swirled around him before slowly rising up, lifting him along with it. When he was five feet above the blond, looking down into deadly red eyes, he smirked.

"If you want him..." His eyes widened manically as he swung his arms down, the streams of water slicing downwards. "COME AND TAKE HIM!" he screamed.

Naruto opened his mouth wide and let out a ferocious roar that shook the very walls of the sewer and echoed through the tunnels. The flaming tails surrounding him shot out towards the oncoming water and the two forces collided.

An explosion rattled the underground tunnels.

* * *

**Me: *groans and moves ice-pack over eyes* My...freakin...heeeaaaddd!**

**Kamari: That's what you get for eating too much sugary-liquor chocolate. *reading first aid book***

**Me: Ergh...how did the readers find the chapter? *groggily looks up***

**Kaoru: *looks out window* They seem ready to dismember you for the cliff-hanger, but otherwise riled up.**

**Me: *whimpers* I'll try to work on the next one then...**

**Stone: *wearing maid outfit* Can I take this off now?**

**Me: *smirk* Only if one of my reviewers asks me to let you change into your clothes.**

**Stone: *turns to readers* I'm begging you guys! The thong hurts like shit and my feet are killing me! DX Please help! **

**Remember to check out my poll please! ^_^ Thanks for reading and look forward to the next chapter!  
**


	18. The Red Fox and The White Snake

**I KNOW IT'S LATE! I'M SORRY! *breaks out into sobs***

**Kaoru: That's not fooling anyone. =.= You're not sorry.**

**Juura: Yes I am! I spent a while on this chapter, but I just couldn't figure out what to put at the end!**

**Kamari: So you just settled for waiting for the next chapter to add that little bit?**

**Juura: Yep. *sigh* I really am sorry for the long wait. Not only was this chapter giving me grief but shit's been CRAZY here! I've still got schoolwork to do every day, we got a new game, we've (my sis and me) have been brainstorming...yeah, we've been busy. :/ So I hope you'll forgive the delay and enjoy the chapter! 8D Shit's gonna get good!**

**Warnings: Supernatural occurences, ect. ect.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto...how sad. :'(  
**

* * *

**The Red Fox and The White Snake**

Naruto felt warm and cosy. His eyes were closed, and something soft was covering his body. He didn't want to wake up, but a part of him was extremely confused. He couldn't really remember what had been happening before. Slowly, he tried to open his eyes, the image before him coming out as an unfocused blur. There was a lot of light, he could tell that much. Fire, it seemed, was everywhere and yet he wasn't afraid of it. Then he saw something moving in front of him. His vision wouldn't clear, and he was only just able to make it out.

It was a big, bushy tail.

He blinked weakly, still feeling the heaviness of sleep on him and he shifted. The warmth on him seemed to curl closer, and it was then he realized there were several tails around him, creating a bed of sorts. Two of them were draped over him, covering him in a furry blanket. The tail before him was swishing back and forth carelessly, and he felt sleep reaching around to drag him back down.

There was a soundless voice talking to him to.

"_Sleep...Do not worry...just sleep..."_ is what it seemed to be saying.

He closed his eyes again, letting the warmth lull him back. He hoped, when he woke up, that Sasuke would be there to greet him.

* * *

A large water pipe exploded, sending a rushing stream of filthy water into the tunnels. Rats and insects were washed away, squeaking or hissing as they were engulfed by the water.

A lone rat scrambled onto a small ledge of concrete, its ragged fur sopping wet. It shook itself roughly, bet let out a squeak when a body slammed harshly against the wall two feet away, and in its fright the creature dived back into the water.

Sasuke's body slid down the wall, landing in the now waist deep water. He looked up, Orochimaru's face still visible like a mask over the original. The snake hissed angrily, pushing away from the wall and leaving the small crater-like hole. He swung his arm, a wall of water slicing upwards towards the flaming blond in the middle.

Naruto's red eyes narrowed and his mouth slid open. A thin stream of fire billowed out, crashing with the wall of water and creating more steam that left the large chamber in a heated haze.

Orochimaru sneered, cracking his neck.

"I recognize this power now...it took me a while, but I remember reading about this during my research," cold yellow eyes glared straight into deep red. "You're the Kyuubi."

The blond growled, crouching down onto all fours. The flaming tails swished behind him aggressively, occasionally scraping across the wall and leaving red-hot trails in their wake.

"Ch'" Orochimaru spat out some blood from his vessel, leaking more of his spiritual energy to repair the damage done. He held out his hand, fingers twisting and turning until the air surrounding him began to shimmer. Slowly, figures emerged from the empty space. The spirit of a young man with silver-hair tied back into a stubbed pony tail and large spectacles materialized. In his hands glinted several large scalpels. Orochimaru looked at the flaming demon and smiled.

"Naruto-kun might remember my son...Kabuto," he said with a wave towards the spirit.

The blond let out a loud snarl, clawed-hands splashing in the water. One of his tails swung around, aiming straight for the new spirit.

Kabuto vanished in a blur, reappearing behind the blond. Red eyes slid towards the attacker as Kabuto's spirit blurred again, zooming close.

There was a growl and blood splattered into the water in the chamber. Naruto was standing upright, lips pulled back into a harsh snarl. His shirt was torn, a large and deep gash across his chest. Blood poured from the wound like the water from the burst pipeline.

Orochimaru smirked as Kabuto's spirit reappeared beside him, but his smirk faded when he saw the wound on the blond was regenerating and fixing itself. He growled when the blond turned to glare at him, chest fully healed without even a scar.

Suddenly he was flying through the air, the blue shirt he was wearing going up in flames. He cursed, quickly ripping the article of clothing away. He flipped in the air, waving his hands. There was a thunderous crack as pieces of the wall broke away and smashed together, creating a platform that he landed on. He growled when he realized that one of the tails had smashed him in the side and his growl escalated into a roar when he saw Kabuto's spirit writhing in the middle of the room, on fire.

There was a crack and the raven's jaw fell down, broken. It widened and widened and Orochimaru let out a roar which changed into a ferocious hiss. Snakes of all sizes materialized from his gaping mouth, slithering out and into the water.

The blond slowly took a shaky step forward, tails waving wildly around him. He was growling continuously now, hair whipping about and nails growing longer and sharper than before.

Suddenly a snake shot out of the water, its teeth sinking into his arm. Another one jumped and bit into his shoulder. Soon, millions of snakes were slithering over him, biting him everywhere and injecting their poison deep into his veins.

Naruto let out a scream, flames burning brighter as the tails splashed into the water before coming back up and reforming. The water was bubbling and boiling, steam rising and clouding the air. Sweat rolled down Sasuke's pale back, his human body still susceptible to the elements around him despite Orochimaru's possession and slight protection.

The snake hissed, looking down at his arms and seeing the burnt skin. "I did not think I would have to deal with a demon..." he murmured angrily, glaring down at the struggling blond. "I shall have to get rid of you now..." His eyes widened and he choked, grabbing his neck and doubling over, his broken jaw opened wider than ever. He hacked and gagged before finally, a thick viper began to slither from his throat, covered in blood and saliva. When the gigantic creature was out of his body, he heaved a few breaths, blood spilling out the corners of his mouth.

Yellow eyes looked down at the flaming blond, and a wicked sneer curved his lips.

"This should end it..." he hissed and the viper turned around, slithering into the water with its glowing yellow eyes trained on the writhing blond below.

* * *

Kiba sniffed, frowning. "It's coming from that tunnel!" he said, turning to look at Kakashi and Itachi.

They nodded, walking forwards.

Twenty minutes ago, they had all been gathered near the entrance and their starting point when there had been some kind of earthquake. Half of the crew had fallen over in both shock and unsteady feet. Upon recovering their balance, Kakashi had sent the younger members back to the street save for Kiba, Neji and Lee. Itachi and Kisame were accompanying him while Sasori and Deidara remained with the other crew members just in case something bad happened over on that end.

As they'd gone down the tunnels, Kiba had pointed out that there was a strange smell in the air.

"It seriously smells like something is burning!" he had exclaimed and that had led them to this current predicament.

They crept down the tunnels, keeping their eyes and ears peeled just in case there were any ghouls nearby.

"To the right!" Lee said suddenly, and they turned to see a ghoul. Kakashi raised his gun, but stopped when there was another tremor. The ghoul let out a frightened shriek and scuttled away down a different tunnel.

They all shared a very concerned and confused look.

"Whatever is happening...it involves something strong enough to frighten a ghoul," Neji said before closing his eyes. "Byakugan!"

He stared ahead for a moment, searching out the area before a feeling of abject terror washed over him. His mouth opened in a panicked shout and he gripped his head, deactivating his eyes and panting harshly.

"Neji! Neji what's wrong?" Lee was asking, a hand on his shoulder to keep him steady.

"There...my God, there was such a horrible spiritual energy nearby. It was unlike anything I've ever felt before," he shuddered at the mere memory. "It felt like all my strength was drained and there was nothing left but pure fear."

Kakashi and Itachi shared a nervous look as Neji's next few words. "It was so demonic..."

Itachi started to walk ahead. "Kakashi, I think the others should head back. You and I should go ahead," he murmured and Kakashi nodded, turning to the rest.

"Kisame, take them back to the others. We'll deal with this on our own," he instructed and turned.

Kisame blinked, for a moment looking confused before his face twisted. "H-hang on! You're not seriously telling me to abandon you guys!" he said angrily, hand reaching out to grab Itachi's shoulder.

The Uchiha frowned, pushing his hand off and stepping back. "You're not abandoning anyone, Kisame. You're following orders," he said sternly.

"Yeah, orders to abandon you guys!" Kisame snapped, crossing his arms. "I'm not stupid, Itachi! You two know what's down there, and it's scary enough for you to make sure no one else has to face it...I know that expression you get on your face," he added and Itachi snarled.

"I don't get any expressions!" he clipped, pushing Kisame back. "Just take the others and go. We'll deal with this and be out in a minute."

"Will you really?" Kisame asked harshly, reaching up to grip Itachi's wrist firmly and glare straight into his eyes. Itachi met his glare with one of his own.

"What's gotten into you Kisame?" he snapped, his nerves on edge. '_Sasuke...and Naruto...they're both in trouble. I don't have time for this idiot!_'

Kisame stared at him carefully, his fingers tightening on Itachi's wrist. "...You will come back."

Itachi frowned. "Yes?" he said slowly, not sure why Kisame was sounding so stern.

The blue-haired man growled and squeezed the wrist in his hand tighter. "It wasn't a question, Itachi. You will come back."

Kakashi stood behind Itachi, looking remorseful. '_Kisame understands way more than Itachi thinks he does. He knows that what's down there now isn't something a normal person can deal with...Only a powerful psychic can deal with it now._' The leader sighed to himself, running a hand through his hair. Kisame was still gripping Itachi's hand tightly, and Kakashi came to a decision.

Kisame started to look desperate. "Itachi," he murmured, looking away briefly. Lee, Neji and Kiba were standing back, watching in confusion and apprehension. "Look...I know he's your brother," he whispered and Itachi's eyes widened, "But...you need to remember that when someone is possessed...they aren't _them_ anymore. It's only the ghost in control and it's bloody hard for outside forces to reach the people trapped inside without some serious rituals," Kisame hissed when Itachi tried to pull out of his grip.

"Kisame," Itachi growled, "I know what I'm doing. Let go."

Kisame frowned, looking ready to argue. However, his fingers released the pale limb and Itachi pulled his arm back harshly. The blue man stepped back, looking lost.

"...I'll see you and Sasuke later..." he said, and Itachi's eyes softened slightly at the faintest hint of a tremor in the man's voice.

"...Hn. You can take us out for some tomato onigiri like you used to," the Uchiha mumbled and Kisame laughed weakly, nodding. Itachi smirked lightly and turned around. He looked up, his smirk dropping. The tunnel that led to whatever was happening was blocked, a shimmering barrier glowing in the dark. On the other side they could faintly see a paper seal stuck to the wall.

"Shit! Kakashi!" Itachi shouted, running to the barrier only to jerk back when it crackled with electric currents. Kisame reached out to catch him, the two of them staring at the barrier.

"He's going to try and take care of it on his own!" Kisame gasped in horror, and Itachi cursed.

Neji and the others shared concerned looks. They did not know exactly what was going on, but knew enough to know that their leader's return...was not a high possibility.

Itachi growled, running back to the seal and opening his eyes wide. The red of the Sharingan shone in the dark, and he tried to find a weak spot.

'_Damn you Kakashi! Why? Why do you do this every time?'_

* * *

Kakashi clicked off his flashlight, no longer in need of it as the tunnels were glowing from the fiery depths within. He slid the device into his belt as well as his pistol and calmly placed his hands into his pockets.

He knew that the barrier would only give him a head start. Itachi would break through it in due time and come crashing after him.

'_He's more like Obito than he would ever admit. Always running ahead when his family is in jeopardy,'_ he thought and then chuckled softly to himself, reaching up to tap his forehead.

"I'm no better...I'm doing the exact same thing..." he mumbled, a glazed look in his eye.

He shook his head slightly and continued to walk, following the rumbles, burning light and loud splashes.

He turned down one tunnel and stopped. The tunnel had obviously had a staircase at one point, but it had been destroyed in the fierce fight happening below. The chamber was filled with water, bubbling and splashing everywhere. The walls were steaming and a haze of steam floated by the roof. Kakashi stared down at the scene before him, taking a moment to gather his thoughts after the bombshell that was this fight hit him.

Naruto was in the very centre of the room, roaring and screaming as snakes slithered over his body. Hovering near his back and moving with him was a flaming beast; it was almost like a floating coat. Nine fiery tails swung around the room, leaving trails of fire against the walls and splashing into the water, creating even more steam. Sweat dribbled down Kakashi's forehead just from the heat radiating from the room. Naruto himself seemed to be caught in a whirlwind, his hair and clothes flapping wildly. Above his head, the fire seemed to form the face of a fox and Kakashi leant against the wall.

'_So it was the Kyuubi...an ancient demon. I can't believe it. And sealed into Naruto of all people?_' he closed his eyes, breathing through his nose. '_...I wonder if this was all the work of fate?_' he thought vaguely.

His eyes travelled around the room before they spotted the second person.

Sasuke was standing on a platform that hovered through the air. After activating his Sharingan, Kakashi realized that there was a layer of spiritual energy underneath the rocks, keeping it up. The younger Uchiha's body was hunched over, his skin looking red and irritated. He was getting burnt slowly but surely. His hair also flapped about from the heated waves pulsing through the air, and even at this distance Kakashi could make out the broken jaw and dripping blood.

He narrowed his eyes, focusing his Sharingan carefully.

He could see it clearly now. The snake that had been coiled around Sasuke's spine the first time they had looked was now floating above him, much like the flaming fox above Naruto. The snake was huge and pearly white, with gleaming yellow eyes and large, elongated fangs. When Sasuke looked up, Kakashi's eyes widened when he saw Orochimaru's face hovering like a hologram over his.

'_He's really been possessed...and..._' Kakashi gulped and edged closer to the ledge where the stairs used to be. '_...I can't sense any traces of Sasuke anymore. Is he even still there?_' he thought worriedly. Just the thought of Sasuke's soul having been snuffed out made Kakashi want to vomit. He sincerely hoped the only reason he couldn't sense Sasuke was because of the amount of powerful demonic energy and Orochimaru's overwhelming spiritual energy.

He knelt down, observing the fight. It looked like Naruto had managed to throw off most of the snakes, their venom having no effect on him in his demonic form. It was then that Kakashi's Sharingan saw something sliding through the water. He focused on it, waiting for the image to clear before he gasped.

'_Oh shit!'_

Naruto turned, small jets of fire issuing from his mouth as he glared at Orochimaru. The tails whipped around, streaking through the air and smashing into the platform. There was a blur as Sasuke's body flew through the air and landed on the other side of the chamber, water splashing up around his feet. Orochimaru looked up, cricking his neck to the side even as he slammed his vessels jaw back into place.

He smirked, crossing his arms. "It's almost time..." he mumbled to himself with sadistic glee and he calmly watched as the blond advanced. He raised his hand, the skin blistered and burnt. He couldn't feel it though, so he didn't care.

A stream of water rose with his hand and he whipped the limb out, sending the stream towards the blond. As expected, one of the tails slid into the way and blocked it, creating more steam. The pale face slipped into a wicked grin.

"Opening," he sang.

The gigantic viper shot out of the water, its mouth gaping wide and a loud hiss echoing as it headed straight for Naruto's head through the small opening created when the tail moved. The other tails couldn't turn that quickly and Naruto's head was left exposed and vulnerable.

Orochimaru laughed, waiting for the attack to strike. His smile fell when the air between Naruto's head and the oncoming viper began to swirl and disappear into itself in a vortex.

His yellow eyes widened before narrowing in anger.

"I know that technique," he hissed lowly and slowly turned to look at one of the upper entrances to the chamber, above a shattered staircase. "...You!" the word was spat like venom.

Kakashi met the murderous yellow gaze and swallowed. Seeing the familiar face of Sasuke, with a shadow of Orochimaru atop it was downright scary, especially when he wore that expression of pure hatred. Kakashi concentrated harder, and the viper was soon sucked into the strange vortex he had created with his Sharingan. As soon as the viper was gone, he cried out and clutched at his eye, feeling the warmth of blood seeping out. He doubled over, on his knees and took deep breaths to try and dull the pain.

'_I managed to save Naruto...but how can I separate Orochimaru's spirit from Sasuke's body-'_

Kakashi's thoughts were cut off when he felt himself pulled through the air by a powerful, invisible force. He had no time to even shout before he was slamming into the opposite wall. He gasped in pain, feeling his mask slip off his face, but he had no time to recover before he was moving again. He saw the ceiling rushing to meet him and lifted his arms to protect his head. He crashed into the ceiling and literally felt his ribs break. Blood was dripping from his mouth and pain throbbed throughout his body. Out of the corner of his blurry vision, he could see Sasuke with his arm in the air, controlling him.

He was moving again, his body going numb as he was thrown all over the chamber.

His vision was going black and he stared ahead, unable to hear anything anymore.

'_I guess there's nothing more I can do...I'm sorry Sasuke, Itachi... I tried,_' he thought forlornly.

He vaguely registered that he was falling downwards, towards the boiling water below.

'_That's going to kill me for sure..._' he realized impassively and almost sighed. '_Obito...looks like I'll be seeing you sooner than I thought.'_

Before he hit the water, he opened his bleeding eye. There was a blinding flash of light that filled the chamber.

"_Hello, Kakashi..."_

* * *

Kiba grunted as he climbed out of the manhole, Shikamaru helping to pull him up.

"Troublesome," Shikamaru groaned as Kiba finally got out and onto his feet. "So Kakashi and Itachi stayed behind?" the brunet asked his companion while they both reached down to help Lee get out.

"Yes. Itachi insisted that we come back, and he practically shoved us away," Neji said from just below the green clad boy. "We had little choice."

Shikamaru nodded, turning to look at the others. Sasori and Deidara were trying to radio their leader and Itachi to make sure things were all right while the others lay huddled in the van under a blanket. The night had gotten colder and colder as time wore on and everyone who had been in the sewers was slightly wet from the water that ran through the tunnels.

Kiba sat back while Hinata came over to him and gripped his hand. "...Sasuke?" he asked softly and Hinata's hand tightened around his.

"H-he hasn't returned," she mumbled softly and Kiba dipped his head down, biting his lip harshly. He gave a jerky nod in understanding and Hinata wrapped her arms around his shoulders, leading his head to her chest and resting her chin on his head.

"I'm s-sorry," she whispered sadly. Kiba's hand simply stroked her arm in response, the boy unable to speak for fear of his voice cracking. The amount of guilt eating at him was painful. He felt that he had let Sasuke down by not chasing after him fast enough, for not shooting quick enough...for not being a good enough friend.

"...What about the missing girls?" Kiba finally asked, voice thick and low.

Sakura sighed, fingers carding through Ino's hair. The blonde had fallen asleep, leaning heavily against her friend. Sakura had not had the heart to push her away.

"No sign of them either. You guys explored a lot of area, but no readings came of any other presence but the ghouls," she shrugged lightly. "The girls may be on a lower level or else in a different area."

Silence fell over the group as they sat, waiting. There was an aura of gloom about them. Although few of them knew the details of what was happening below, they all knew that this job carried risks. If Kakashi and Itachi had ordered everyone else to stay on the surface, it meant that whatever was taking place was extremely dangerous and could not be handled by anyone with less experience than them.

"Hidan would sure come in handy now, eh?" Chouji said softly, thinking on how out of everyone in the crew, Hidan was the most experienced.

"He's still out of commission for whatever reason," Shikamaru sighed, his sharp eyes catching the shared look between Sasori, Deidara and Kisame.

Ino's eyes fluttered slightly in sleep, before something dripped onto her face. She started at the cold feeling and woke up groggily. Another drop of coldness landed on her face and she sat up, wiping at her eyes.

"Is it raining?" she asked sleepily, making the others look up.

Kamurou tilted his head, holding up a hand. He waited for a moment before pulling it down and looking. There were a few droplets of water.

"Yeah. It's just starting," he replied and sure enough the drops picked up. Most of them were sitting in the van, mainly protected from the rain but for Kiba, Hinata, Kisame and Kamurou who stayed outside.

Hinata looked up, eyes twitching under the oncoming drops. She stared at the moon and swallowed.

"...It's a r-red moon," she mumbled slowly and the others looked up. Neji's face tightened.

"And it's raining," he said before sharing a look with his cousin. "...The red moon cries."

Kisame tensed, fists clenching unnoticeably. '_You will come back Itachi...you, Sasuke and Kakashi.'_

The gentle patter of the rain was all that was heard from then on as they sat in wait, hoping and praying that things would turn out okay at the end of the night.

* * *

**...Sooo...Enjoy? Eheh...**

**DX DON'T KILL ME!**

**I tried! ;_; I did I swear! But like I mentioned before... I just couldn't put a better ending! But don't worry, I'll make it up to you all next chapter! The next one's gonna be long, and full of epic...stuff! (I hope anyway)**

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter and remember!**

**Kaoru: Don't eat yellow snow! :D**

**Kamari: No you ass, she means remember to review! Freak! ¬_¬**

**Kaoru: Oh...I knew that. ¬w¬  
**


	19. The Power of the Sharingan

**This chapter, right here, is Dedicated to Fullmetal Gary...because he is just. Plain. Epic.**

**Such a sweetie, if I ever met him in person, I'd probably try to put him in my pocket. (YOU HEAR ME GARY? YOU'RE GOIN' IN MAH POCKET! XD) Not only has he reviewed so many of my stories but the kind words and flattery(we all love that shit) and encouragement he's given me is wonderful and makes my day that much brighter...but the thing that spurred this dedication was the fact that THIS LOVELY PERSON! *points to Fullmetal Gary* TOOK THE TIME! TO GO TO MY FICTIONPRESS ACCOUNT! AND HE READ AND REVIEWED MY ORIGINAL STORY (the only one I've posted so far) AND THAT WAS JUST ONE OF THE SWEETEST REVIEWS EVER! SO I JUST HAD TO DEDICATE SOMETHING TO THIS SWEETHEART! *claps* Feel the love Gary...feel it! _**

**...**

**8D hyperactivity aside, I hope you all enjoy this chapter! It's long, it's filled with plot-important shit and explanations and...epicness(I hope) and yeah...I worked hard to finish it tonight so I could post it soon!**

**SO LETS NOT DELAY ANY LONGER! XD**

**Warnings: swearing, supernatural, made-up explanation bullshit that sounds good XD, fire hazards and the use of illegal explosives. :)**

**Disclaimer: I wish I could like...make a movie of this because the way I saw this chapter in my head was just so SUCKER-PUNCH MEETS MATRIX MEETS ANY JACKIE CHAN MOVIE MEETS ARAHAN MEETS NARUTO MEETS SUPERNATURAL MEETS Steven Spielberg. :| ...yes...Steven. Spiel. Berg.**

**Note: Did anyone catch on that I'm hyper and random? Talking to Rizember does that to you. XD (check out her stories. _ *trying to mind control readers*)**

**P.S- Also a- (Kaoru: FUCK IT WOMAN GET ON WITH THE DAMN CHAPTER! DX)- ALRIGHT! A QUICK THANK YOU TO ADRIAN NITE FOR THE AWESOME REVIEWS! AS WELL AS EVERYONE ELSE, YOU'RE ALL EPIC AND I WANNA GLOMP YOU ALL! *sprays love over readers***

* * *

**The Power of the Sharingan**

Sasuke was lost.

He was lying face down on something that felt...like nothing. He didn't know here he was, or what had been happening before. He could barely remember his own name. His body felt like it wasn't even there most of the time and he questioned his own existence. Was he real? Was he just a figment of imagination? Was he a ghost?

The confusing thoughts ran through his mind while he tried in vain to make sense of things he didn't even know had happened.

'_Why? Where? How? Who?_' He couldn't even ask a question as he wasn't even aware of what he needed to know. It was all just a blank nothingness around him that he didn't know how to break out of it.

He considered just letting go. Somehow he knew that was an option. He could let go of everything plaguing him and it would be taken away. He would be taken away.

Perhaps he would do that, since it didn't seem like he had anything here anyway. Who was he again?

Just as he closed his eyes-were they ever open to begin with?-he felt something warm wrap around his wrist. A frown marred his face when the warmth tugged on his arm, and slowly he pulled his eyelids back. Something was hovering over him. It was pure white and shining to brightly for him to make anything out.

"_Don't let go...hang on for a bit more, Sasuke._"

The voice was soft like a breath of wind over an ocean. Somewhere he knew he had heard it before, a long time ago, but he couldn't for the life of him place it to a face.

"_Don't let go Sasuke. Naruto is waiting...everyone is waiting for you..."_

Naruto.

Along with that name came memories. Naruto was the blue-eyed blond that he was deeply in love with. That loud laugh and tan skin. And those gentle hands that had held his so many times before.

Uzumaki Naruto; his true love and the boy who he had hurt by letting himself become possessed.

Sasuke remembered now. He remembered what had been happening.

"What do I do?" he breathed, squinting to try and see this white angel holding his wrist.

"_Stay strong Sasuke...I cannot stay for much longer, but soon someone will come to guide you. Just hold on for a bit longer..."_

Sasuke weakly nodded, breathing shallowly as the white light faded and left him in the bitter darkness. He could now hear sounds. Hissing, splashing water...a distant roar. He decided not to dwell on what was happening outside his little black world just yet. He would obey the white light and wait for someone to guide him...

He would hold on for a bit longer. He would hold on for Naruto.

* * *

Kakashi stared out at the mountain before him. The sun was peeking out over the edge, sending the jagged stone edges into a sharp relief. He placed his hands in his pockets, watching the sun climb higher. The footsteps slowly approaching behind him were no surprise. Kakashi was well aware of what was happening.

"So this is what a near-death experience is really like?" he asked softly as the footsteps came to a halt beside him. "Quite fancy. A sunrise? Definitely haven't seen one of those in a while. It's nice."

There was a soft chuckle from beside him and Kakashi couldn't help but smile before he turned his head to look at his company.

"It's been a while, Obito."

Obito looked the same as the day he had died, minus the empty eye-socket and bloodied bones. He was wearing that ridiculous blue and orange jumper, along with his jeans. Black hair as mussed as ever and a pair of goggles settled atop his head. The Uchiha turned to smile at Kakashi.

"It has indeed, Kakashi. You're looking quite well," Obito said playfully. Kakashi laughed.

"You should've seen me in the real world. Broken bones and everything," he said, rubbing at his arm.

Obito's smile saddened. "Yes, I know. I was watching. I have been for a while now," he said quietly. Kakashi snorted.

"Pervert," he muttered and Obito laughed.

"You learned from the best, remember?" he teased and Kakashi smirked.

"The student surpassed the master, Obito," he informed and Obito grinned, shaking his head. His face fell into a serious expression soon after, however and Kakashi already missed the smile.

"As much fun as it would be to carry on our old banter...there is something of great importance we must address," Obito said softly. Kakashi sighed, crossing his arms.

"...Is it about Naruto and Sasuke?" he asked slowly and Obito nodded.

"I know what's happening between them, Kakashi. I've known from the beginning. I know everything that's happened," the Uchiha turned to face his friend, and suddenly the sunlight was gone to be replaced with a twilight star. "And I know how to save them both."

Kakashi turned to look at him in surprise. "You do? How? Obito, you've been dead for years...how do you know about all of this?" he asked.

Obito smiled, raising his hand. They suddenly appeared atop the mountain, directly under the star.

"Kakashi...what are ghosts?" he asked and Kakashi recognized the tone. It was the one Obito used whenever he was about to tell Kakashi a great piece of information.

"Remnants of spiritual energy left behind by people when they die. Depending on the nature of the death, the amount of spiritual energy left behind may vary. Violent or unjust deaths often result in large amounts of spiritual energy being left behind, causing the spirits to have greater manipulation of their surroundings," Kakashi quoted like he was holding a textbook. Obito nodded, pleased.

"Good, good. Now then...what is the relation between spiritual energy and _time_?" he asked slyly and Kakashi blinked slowly.

"...In the natural order, with lingering ghosts being the exception, spiritual energy becomes a part of the time continuum when it is no longer held within a soul or body or by a conscious thought...it is what forms the dimensions of time and space. Which is why I am able to manipulate the time and space of certain areas with my...with the Sharingan you gave me," Kakashi said slowly and once again Obito smiled, clapping his hands.

"You're actually a smart guy. What do you know?" he said and chuckled when Kakashi glared at him.

"What are you getting at Obito?" Kakashi asked, crossing his arms. Obito smiled and looked towards the star.

"Since time is basically made of spiritual energy that belongs to the world and universe, then it stands to reason that someone who can manipulate spiritual energy can also...manipulate and travel through time, yes?" Obito asked, turning back to his shocked companion. Kakashi gaped at him before shaking his head.

"Not possible. While the theory is understandably made, there are aspects that prevent it. For one, even if someone can manipulate spiritual energy, they cannot manipulate solid matter. A person's body would never be able to survive an attempt at time travel. Also, there is the case of a paradox forming, which would screw up all the timelines and create absolute chaos. The world itself wouldn't allow it. The sheer force of spiritual energy pressing to fix that paradox would destroy anyone who was caught in it!" Kakashi insisted, flattening his hand to show his statement of the impossible.

Obito laughed at his friend, his head nodding along. "You're absolutely right, Kakashi! A person with a flesh and blood body would never be able to travel through time. Their physical presence prevents it, along with the paradox problem. However," Obito's eyes gleamed intensely, "The same cannot be said for a ghost."

Kakashi's mouth snapped shut, cutting off his own argument as he was hit with the sudden possibility. His eyes widened. "You...you don't mean to tell me..."

Obito nodded resolutely, his smile gone. "Ghosts are able to travel through time. They have no physical body to tie them down, and because they are nothing more than spiritual energy, there is no chance of them creating a paradox. Even ghosts that weren't psychics during life are able to slip into the timelines and travel. Most of them don't even realize it. It is why many lingering spirits have no memory of their life. They become lost in different time periods and therefore do not know if what they lived was real or not as it is not what's happening around them."

Kakashi sat down on the stones, eyes wide as he considered all the possibilities this new view offered.

"So then...you?" Kakashi asked, looking up. Obito nodded.

"Because of my Sharingan, I am able to travel on the timelines with greater ease and control where I go. Kakashi, a while ago I went further into the future... I saw everything that played out. It was," Obito's face paled. "It was horrific. You wouldn't believe how much this had affected the rest of the world. That spirit...Orochimaru...his plans branched so much further than just Sasuke and his immediate area. 'Kashi, the entire _world_ suffered from his demented goals!" Obito exclaimed and Kakashi felt sick. This was on such a larger scale...he hadn't even begun to realize.

"What...what happened to the rest of us?" he asked. Silence was his answer, and he looked up to see Obito looking absolutely sick, his face tinged green and his eyes wide in horrified memory. "...I take it that it's best I don't know," Kakashi whispered fearfully and Obito nodded.

"Something like that...just the knowledge that it was possible would destroy you, Kakashi," the Uchiha said softly and Kakashi swallowed.

"So...so what now? How do I stop this from happening?" he asked and Obito gathered himself again, moving to sit next to his friend.

"Don't worry too much. As soon as I saw what had become of the world in the future, I started to make plans to prevent it. Even in death, a ghost is able to affect the world around them, as you know," Obito smiled, nudging Kakashi's arm. The silver-haired man looked up with wide eyes.

"You've been taking steps?"

"Exactly. I travelled to certain areas in time and made small changes... Actually," Obito looked slightly bashful, "I was the one who alerted the people in the orphanage of the haunting. That little girl hadn't done much...but I knew it was necessary to bring you there. I did a few natural ghost things and it worked. I knew that Lee and Gai had contact and that your company would be their first choice," Obito said with a soft chuckle.

Kakashi gaped. "...You started the haunting?" he asked in disbelief. At Obito's nod, his face grew stormy. "Why Obito? Sasuke got bitten by Orochimaru at that orphanage! If we had never gone there, he _never_ would have gotten bitten!" he yelled, shooting to his feet.

"You're wrong, Kakashi," Obito said calmly. "Yes, Sasuke would not have been bitten, but someone _else_ would have...And that person would not have fought Orochimaru's power for as long as Sasuke has been able to. Orochimaru would've easily gained control and started his chaos. I knew Sasuke would be able to contain Orochimaru the longest...he had to."

Kakashi fell to his knees, his face buried in his hands. "You've got to be shitting me! Everything was planned...everything had happened for a reason?" he asked, looking up. There were tears in his eyes as all the suffering they had gone through suddenly made sense... Kakashi trusted Obito. He knew the Uchiha would've never put them through the suffering without a damn good reason. Obito nodded. His face was grave and tight. Kakashi could see the remorse swimming in his eyes.

Kakashi swallowed softly and looked at the ground. "Out of curiosity...who would have been bitten in Sasuke's place?" he asked.

"That red headed boy, Kao."

Kakashi blinked. "The twin? Why him?" he asked.

Obito looked at his hands and shrugged. "I don't think Orochimaru chose him for a _special_ reason. I think it was more the case of...he was the most dangerous and unstable, and therefore Orochimaru could take over his body. I don't know if you've noticed or not, but the kid isn't exactly the most stable pancake in the stack," Obito said with a chuckle and Kakashi nodded.

"So you needed Sasuke to be the one bitten...why else?" he asked, closing his eyes. Obito shifted beside him.

"Because of his relationship with Naruto."

Kakashi stood up, letting out a laugh. "Oh my shit-bag, this is insane!" he said, gripping his hair. "Dear God, this is too much to take in!"

Obito smiled sadly. "Sorry, but it's important for you to understand," he said and Kakashi huffed.

"Yeah, I get it but damn! Time travel, planned events...it makes me wonder just how much free-will I've had the past year!"

Obito laughed aloud at that. "Don't worry Kakashi! I only possessed one person throughout all of this!"

Kakashi let out a hysterical laugh. "Seriously? Who?"

"The principal of Sasuke's school," Obito said and then grumbled. "Bloody bastard wouldn't have let Naruto join the school otherwise because of his disobedient record from the orphanage. I just gave him a necessary push."

Kakashi ran a hand over his face. "You realize that you have officially blown my mind away into a few little pieces?"

Obito grinned. "I'll give you a dustpan before you go," he answered and Kakashi laughed as he settled back down.

"So what other bombs do you have in your arsenal of mind-fuck one-oh-one?" he asked.

"Well as I said, Sasuke was the one Orochimaru needed to possess. Not only because Sasuke was strong enough to hold him off for as long as he has...but because of his relationship with Naruto. His connection to Naruto of course gives him a connection...to the Kyuubi."

Kakashi leant back, resting his head on his arms. "I was right. They were brought together by something other than pure coincidence."

Obito shrugged, his face serious. "It was necessary. Not only was having Sasuke close to the Kyuubi of absolute importance..." his face grew lecherous, "They make one of the cutest couples I've seen in years!"

Kakashi grinned. "Old habits die hard eh?"

"Yeah, even when the person dies, the habits are still alive and kicking!" Obito joked, poking his tongue out while Kakashi laughed.

"So, you hooked up your nephew with a kid containing a powerful ancient demon. What was the method behind this madness I wonder?"

Obito turned to lie on his stomach, resting his pale face in his hands.

"Orochimaru is a powerful being. He's surpassed the level of spirit and is now an actual entity all his own. He's achieved the level of a demon. And the only thing that can kill a demon _permanently_..."

Kakashi nodded, finishing the sentence. "..Is _another_ demon. I see now," he said, remembering the time that they had fought the contract demon. Naruto had been the one to deflect it...He had been the one to kill it, even if he didn't realize it.

"Exactly. The only hope of stopping Orochimaru for good is by using the Kyuubi to fight him. Now," Obito sat up, leaning over Kakashi, "Here's the tricky part..."

Kakashi rolled his eyes. "Because obviously everything else so far has been a piece of cherry-pie?"

Obito grinned. "I'm an Uchiha even in death. We can do just about anything!"

Kakashi narrowed his eyes. "Yeah, except stay out of danger," he mumbled and Obito chuckled guiltily.

"A family of thrill-junkies. Sue us. Now back to the subject at hand!" A pale hand smacked against Kakashi's cheek, making the man yelp and sit up. "This is where you need to pay close attention-"

There was a sudden rumble and the mountain they stood on shook violently. Kakashi steadied himself, looking around. "The fuck was that?"

Obito sighed irritably. "We don't have much time left. It seems my power's draining. I can't keep time still for much longer."

Kakashi stared. "You stopped time?"

"I needed to explain this shit to you! I knew it would take a while, and since I didn't want to risk missing a valuable opening while chatting about time travel, I pressed the pause button!"

"Only you could have a pause button for time itself!"

"Shut up! Let me explain what you need to do next to prevent that future from happening...Kakashi, you _cannot_ let that happen!" Obito's face was serious and pleading at the same time. Kakashi swallowed and nodded.

"Tell me what needs to be done."

Obito nodded and leant forwards. "Listen well..."

* * *

Itachi almost wanted to scream at what he saw when he ran into the flaming chamber. Aside from the fact the entire room looked like something straight from a section of hell, the fact that his most precious people were there, subject to this horror, made it seem so much fiercer than it probably was.

His eyes, first of all, landed on the form of his little brother. But could he even call it his little brother anymore? The thing standing there was in no way the same as his precious Sasuke. It was a monster now; a beast wearing his brother's skin. The thought brought an unwanted wetness to Itachi's eyes and he harshly swiped his sleeve across them to rid himself of it.

Next he took in the sight of Naruto, covered in a flaming visage of a fox, snarling and roaring and slashing at the streams of hissing snakes attacking him. Itachi flinched as a flaming tail swept past him, the heat making his skin burn briefly. He watched as a metal pipe began to melt when the tail slid across it. The water below was boiling, large bubbles bursting and releasing clouds of thick steam into the already hazed air.

Finally Itachi's sharp eyes caught a figure lying still on a small platform of broken ceiling, just above the water level. His heart jumped to his throat when he recognized them.

'_Kakashi!_'

Keeping mind of the battle going on around him, he jumped from the entrance to a piece of broken stairwell. Both the demons behind him were occupied with each other and so he was able to jump from broken stone to ledge until finally reaching the slab where Kakashi lay. His breath froze when he saw the damage to his old friend. Blood was spattered around Kakashi's body, and it was evident that most of his bones were broken or fractured. His mask had gotten lost, the full visage there for Itachi's eyes to see. He gritted his teeth and knelt down. Kakashi wasn't moving at all, and Itachi wasn't sure he would be able to face the truth. He wouldn't be able to accept that his cheery, wise-assed friend wasn't going to crack a joke every again.

"Ka-" His voice broke before he could even finish and he caught himself, slamming his mouth shut and swallowing several times. "Kakashi..." he breathed when he felt capable of speaking.

There was no answer, and Itachi gripped the man's wet and blood-stained shirt in his hands. His eyes narrowed while his lips pulled back in a grieving snarl. He hunched over, closing his eyes tight and cursing under his breath.

"You...you _fucker_! You stupid, asshole, dick-headed motherfucker! Why did you...fuck, _why_?" he ground out painfully, palms lightly punching the body below him. "...Dammit! You stupid cheese-dick!" he spat.

"..That's...not...nice..."

Itachi's head snapped up and he stared at the dull grey eye looking back at him. His breath left him in a rush and he grinned.

"Fuck you!" he said and Kakashi huffed out a laugh that turned into a groan.

"Itachi...I can't move right now..." he began and Itachi shushed him.

"No duh, you moron! But I'll get you out of here and back up to the surface. Then I'll...I can do something about S..about them," he said, catching himself.

Kakashi shook his head weakly. "No wait...I know...I know how we can save them both," he wheezed and Itachi froze.

"...You do?" he asked, and the hope was evident in his tone. "How?"

Kakashi smiled. "I got a little help...from an old friend," he said softly before there was a loud crash. The two men looked over and saw Sasuke's body flying through the air, a wall of water following him. The water washed over Naruto and for a brief moment the flaming tails died out. However not a second passed before they returned, burning brightly while Naruto roared and jumped into the air, chasing after Sasuke's figure as he darted around the chamber roof, pushing off of the walls.

"We need to hurry," Kakashi groaned. "Itachi, help me sit up!"

Carefully , Itachi pulled Kakashi up, trying to ignore his pained gasps and pants. When the man was propped upright against Itachi's chest, he waited.

"What now?"

Kakashi sucked in deep breaths, wincing at the ever-coursing pain. Up ahead, Naruto was clinging to the wall, his nails imbedded in the stone while his tails continuously speared various areas in the chamber walls, trying to impale Sasuke's body as the raven jumped about, occasionally attacking with more streams of water. Snakes continued to slither around the chamber, climbing up the walls and wrapping themselves around Naruto's limbs but the blond fought them off. One of the fiery tails expanded and shot towards the raven. Sasuke moved out of the way in time, and the tail momentarily travelled down a tunnel entrance before sliding back.

Kakashi took a deep breath as the two demons continued to fight and destroy the area around them. He pushed his head back enough to speak into Itachi's ear.

"Pay close attention...I'm only saying this once..."

* * *

"Is it just me or are the tunnels a lot brighter in this area?"

Satoko's question made the small group stop and look around. It was true, they could see relatively well in this tunnel. Kao chewed on his lip, wondering why the change had taken place. For the past half hour they had been wandering through the tunnels trying to find both an exit and Naruto and the others. They had been unsuccessful in both endeavours and they were getting tired from carrying their unconscious companions.

"Okay, wait here for a second. I'm going to go ahead and see what's going on," the red head said slowly. There was an air of hesitation behind him and he turned around to see the others huddling close, staring at him with scared eyes. "Oh come on, I won't go far! I'll just look down the tunnel, I swear!" he said, already walking backwards.

Satoko let out a soft whine of fear. "W-what if those things come back?" she stammered.

Kao shook his head. "Relax! I'm pretty sure those things aren't anywhere near here!" he insisted just before turning towards the new tunnel. He had barely finished his sentence when there was a loud screech and a horde of black shaped creatures came barrelling past from the tunnel he had been about to explore. He stood perfectly still, his eyes bugging slightly and his hand still raised an a farewell gesture as the creatures scrambled past, letting out high pitched shrieks as they travelled down a tunnel branching to the right.

When they had all vanished, Kao took a shaky step back.

"Okay...okay so I was _wrong_...but...but I'm sure there's nothing _else_ down the-"

A giant plume of fire shot past with a roar from down the tunnel it had come from and Kao jumped a foot in the air, letting out a shriek of his own.

"FUCK ME SIDEWAYS _MARGARET_! FORGET IT!" he screamed, turning and rushing back down the tunnel along with the others.

'_Christ, if it's not one thing it's another! We the fuck is the damn exit!.?'_

They jogged down the tunnels, no longer caring about making too much noise. After what they just witness they just wanted to get the hell out of the damn sewers already. Turning down another tunnel, Satoko reached out a hand and grabbed onto Kao's arm. The boy, already high strung from stress and nerves, let out a high pitched shriek and plastered himself to the opposite wall.

"DON'T _DO_ THAT!" he roared at the quaking girl, who flinched.

"I-I'm sorry Kao-kun!" she whispered and he heaved a breath, placing a hand over his heart.

"No, it's...it's fine. I'm just really freaked out. Spending too long in a dark place crawling with creepy shadow monsters has got me a little on edge," he said eventually, offering his hand in apology. Satoko smiled and shook her head.

"I know the feeling, trust me. But listen!" she said, lifting her head. "Can you hear that?"

They all listened carefully, some expecting the fearful sound of thudding steps of monsters, but instead their ears caught a sound that was so soothing...so natural...it was..

"Rain! It's raining outside! We must be pretty close to an entrance somewhere then!" Kujo whispered excitedly, his strength renewed at the prospect of safety.

The small group began to trudge down the halls, carrying their unconscious friends. At one point Nao had woken up, and was leaning heavily upon Satoko as they ambled through the dark tunnels. The drips of rain grew louder as they walked and Kao snapped his fingers as he led the way.

"_Oh, here I come again now baby! Like a dog in heat! Yeah!"_ he began to sing, tapping his hands against his sides. Satoko stared at him in confusion-and slight disgust- before hissing.

"What are you doing?"

Kao glanced at her from over his shoulder. "Finding the best exit!" he answered. Satoko scrunched her face in greater confusion and Kao just grinned. "Just trust me and watch," he murmured before facing forward and continuing.

"_Can tell it's me by the clamour now baby! I'd likely crowd the street!"_

* * *

Kiba sneezed from the cold chill in the air and Hinata wrapped her arms tighter around him. They were still sitting in silence while the rain continued to sprinkle down. The night sky looked more like a dark, bloody blanket and it was creeping them all out exponentially. Sakura and Ino were lying in the back of the van, fast asleep against each other. Shikamaru and Chouji sat near them, occasionally whispering something. Neji and Lee were sitting in silence, side by side while Deidara and Sasori took up similar positions across from them.

Kisame was still standing in the rain, his hands shoved deep into his pockets while he stared at the open hole before him. His eyes were blank, his mind lost in thoughts and memories that the others didn't want to interrupt right now.

Kamurou sighed morosely, absently scratching an itch on his knee. He, too, was in the rain, too unsettled to sit down in the van and wait. He had alternated between pacing, drumming, humming, stretching...just about anything to keep himself occupied but nothing could quell the fear churning in his gut. He feared for his brother, for Naruto his friend, for Sasuke and even the missing students he hadn't even known about until talking to the other crew members. He had already sent a prayer heavenwards that everyone would make it out alive, and he sincerely hoped that it would be answered with mercy. He had considered calling his 'mother' and informing her of the situation, but decided against it. From his time staying with her, he had a pretty good belief that should she discover what was going on she would storm over, head into the sewers and go and fetch Kao herself before literally tearing them both apart and feeding them to the stray cat that often raided their trash bags. That would be quite a gruesome way to go.

At least, that's what would happen if her 'motherly concern' didn't kill them first. The woman had a habit of smothering people in her chest, and the twins were no exception.

He was so busy imaging the torturous times of being bear-hugged by his foster mother, he almost-_almost_- missed the sound that wafted from the empty manhole below.

"_...-know I'm here...stay!..."_

With a gasp that startled the others out of their morbid thoughts, Kamurou fell to his knees beside the empty hole and stuck his head in.

"Got you in a stranglehold baby! You'd best get out of the way!" he sang loudly and grinned when he heard a familiar laugh.

"FINA-FUCKING-LY!"

The others jumped up while the red head pulled back, his grin near splitting his face in half. There were a few huffs and grunts before a second red-head poked out from the man-hole.

"AIR!" Kao screeched happily, taking in a big gulp. "Holy shit, it smells to fresh and clean!"

Kiba jumped off the van and jogged over. "Where've you been? Where's Naruto? What's-"

"Hey, hey! Slow down on the questions Caption Curious!" Kao interrupted, slamming a hand over Kiba's mouth. The brunet gagged and shoved his hand away.

"That's disgusting! You've been in a sewer!" he yelled and Kao shrugged.

"Yeah, and I've been doing your job too!" the red head snapped. "I found those missing people that I'm guessing you guys were searching for!" he said, pointing down into the hole where Satoko and the others were standing, trying to figure out a way to climb up with the unconscious people.

"Holy...Hey! Neji, Sasori, Deidara! Come help me get these people up!" Kisame called as he started to climb down the ladder. "I'll help lift them up, and you guys grab them from the top, okay?"

"Right, un!"

Slowly, they managed to get the two unconscious men onto the surface and lay them down. Lee gently woke Sakura up and she began to look over the men with Ino's help to see the severity of their injuries.

"These men need to go to the hospital," she said after finishing her examination while the others climbed up. She then turned to the last three, also scooting closer to examine them. Once she was done, she smiled. "Kujo-san, you're arm is broken but it doesn't seem extremely bad. Also, Nao-san has a concussion and a few lacerations but nothing that can' be treated. The most pressing matter is the risk of infection. And Satoko-san, you seem to be the best off with only a few minor injuries. You're very lucky!" she said and Satoko smiled.

"I know. I can't...I can't thank you all enough for helping us!" she said. She sobbed lightly as she breathed in the fresh air. "I never...I never thought I'd get out of there alive."

Sakura smiled, rubbing the girls arm. "You're safe now..." she turned to look at Kao and giggled to see him wrapped in Kamurou's arms while the younger twin lectured him harshly about safety and time limits and planning and all that other stuff. Her eyes dulled slightly and she bit her lip.

"Did you happen to see...Sasuke-kun?" she asked and the group fell silent as all attention was turned to the twins. Kamurou looked at his brother gravely and Kao stared at the morose looking faces around him.

"Well...I didn't personally see him, but Naruto apparently did. He ran off after him," he said, blinking when Kiba charged to his face.

"He did? But did you see if he was alright at least? Did you catch him?" he asked and Kao pushed his hands off.

"Dude, I just said I didn't see him personally! Naruto saw his shadow or something going down a tunnel and he took off after him! Hasn't he come back yet?" he snapped, turning to survey the area. The others shook their heads, looking upset and nervous.

Suddenly, the ground shook trembled, sending those standing to the floor. Kisame pushed himself up on his elbows, looking towards the sewer entrance with shocked eyes.

"What the hell was that?" Kiba grit out, eyes wide as he ran his fingers over a cut on his knee. The others were muttering between themselves, nervous and uncertain. Neji and Hinata had their Byakugan's activated and both of them were searching the area nervously.

"That presence is getting stronger," Neji said and he shuddered involuntarily. "Something is happening down there."

Hinata deactivated her eyes and wrapped her arms around Kiba, burying her face in his shoulder. He hugged her back, feeling the way her shoulders trembled in fear.

"What was it, Hinata?" he whispered softly, rubbing her shoulders and arms in a soothing gesture.

"I..I d-don't know! B-but it's so p-powerful...and t-there was s-such a sinister a-aura. I'm s-scared Kiba," she mumbled. Kiba held her tighter, his eyes turning heavenwards as he prayed for answers.

'_I don't know what's going on now...I have no understanding of anything at the moment but...fuck, please let everyone be okay. Let things turn out okay! Just...help!_' he thought, wondering if anyone out there could answer his prayers.

He lay back on the ground, Hinata resting on his chest. The rain continued to patter down around them, but no one paid it any mind. Kisame was jittery and on edge, his hands flexing and clenching as he stared towards the hole. He felt inadequate and stupid.

'_I should be down there, helping Itachi and Kakashi! Dammit, I've fought ghosts and demons before! I'm not some amateur and yet...yet I just don't feel confident here! Why am I so useless?_' he thought despairingly, gripping his hair in frustration.

Another rumble sounded from below and stones jiggled on the granite road.

Hinata and Neji's heads shot up, their eyes wide. Lee suddenly tensed, his muscles flexing under his clothes and his eyes swivelled to the right. Kiba caught a scent in the air, his nerves tingling and he stiffened.

Everyone could sense it. Something had just happened, and it was unlike anything they'd ever experienced before. Sasori's fingers twitched, a small trail of spiritual energy leaking out from their tips and fluttering through the air. Deidara fisted his shirt, eyes trained on the ground. They could feel the shift in the air below, sense the spikes and changes in spiritual energy.

Kisame was tense. '_What...what is this?_'

The twins and the rescued people were silent. Even they could feel something was...different.

Kao looked over at Kamurou, and his hand reached out. Kamurou grabbed it and the two stared at the ground.

"You feel that?" the elder twin asked softly and Kamurou nodded.

"Yeah. I do."

Something was changing.

* * *

Itachi had never thought he could be left completely bewildered and he'd seen some strange things in his lifetime. However, what Kakashi had just explained to him left him stupefied. He hadn't imagined it was even possible.

"Itachi! You need to hurry!" Kakashi was hissing in his ear, and the Uchiha was forced from his shock and back into reality. The sounds of a battle were louder than ever, and he looked over to see that Orochimaru was now on the offensive once again. Naruto was up close to him, flaming tails thrashing, and his hands wiped through the air. Large claws of fire would follow his hand movements, slicing through the walls and destroying anything in their paths.

Itachi stood on shaky legs. The ground was almost permanently shaking now, and he was certain that soon the surface would be able to feel the tremors. He hoped that this fight didn't cause the authorities to declare an Earthquake emergency. Sweat rolled down the side of his face and his clothes were soaked with both hot water and his sweat. The temperature of the chamber was nearing unbearable degrees and he knew that if things didn't end soon, they'd end up dying from overheat alone.

"Kakashi," he called through the loud roars, splashes and rumbles, "Are you absolutely sure this will work?"

Kakashi nodded, on his back on his stone island. His strength was all but gone, and he couldn't move.

"It will...It's the only shot left. Itachi," he called weakly, turning to look at his old friend. When onyx met stone grey, Kakashi smiled. "Don't mess this up."

Itachi swallowed before setting his face and nodding resolutely. "I won't."

With that reassurance, the Uchiha jumped onto the next stone island. He was glad that there were so many shattered rocks lying around, allowing him to avoid the searing hot water below him. He grunted when his foot almost slipped on the edge of a stone, and his arms didn't move correctly in his soaked shirt. With a growl, he tore the material off and tossed it aside. With his torso free, he found he was able to keep his balance easier and he felt so much better.

He waited, watching the battle carefully. It was unreal; the amount of power shown was terrifying and mesmerising.

Naruto seemed to be indestructible. No matter what attacks Orochimaru threw at him, he would deflect them or take them with naught but a growl of disdain. Itachi could see Sasuke's body wearing out and he knew that if he didn't hurry, there would be nothing left of his brother to save. It was going to be a close call as it was.

Suddenly, Naruto went flying through the air before splashing down into the water with an animalistic shriek. Orochimaru let out a maniacal laugh, raising the burnt and reddened arms of his vessel. Large sections of the wall broke away and soared straight into the writhing blond in the water. Itachi gasped as the slabs of concrete connected straight with Naruto's body and not the fiery cloak protecting him. There was another shriek and the flames burned brighter.

"I've got you now, Kyuubi!" Orochimaru hissed, blood spraying from Sasuke's mouth from the damage done to his body. Itachi knew this was his chance, and he darted forwards, landing on a rock in front of what was once his little brother.

"Sasuke!" he called, his eyes opened wide. The red of the Sharingan glowed in comparison with his black hair and pale skin. Orochimaru turned to him, his veiled face flickering and revealing Sasuke's face underneath. Itachi ignored the searing pain in his eyes and concentrated harder. "SASUKE!"

Like a vortex, the sounds and colours of everything around him faded into grey and time seemed to slow down until things were moving at a snail's pace. Itachi blinked, knowing that this was the power Kakashi was telling him about. The second power of his Sharingan.

"It worked...Obito, you sly dog," he murmured. He took a step forward, and like a soft spray of mist over him, he felt his spiritual self leave his physical body behind. "A Sharingan version of Astral Projection."

He turned and saw his physical body standing there, eyes open and body straight. He then looked down at his hands, seeing how transparent they were. The edges were blurred, and when he moved they seemed to trail slightly, like comets. It was the most surreal thing he'd ever experienced. Knowing he didn't have time to truly explore this new power here, he turned and started to drift towards Sasuke's still body.

He saw the white snake clearly now. It was hissing at him, it's beady eyes glaring into his own. He dismissed it, stepping around it.

'_Orochimaru's spirit must be locked in the physical part of his body. Kakashi was right. Sasuke is trapped in his own mind entirely._'

He continued to drift around, and then he saw it.

Lying on the floor, a little ways away from where his body was, was Sasuke. He was on his stomach, face pressed to the floor. Around him were misty grey bars, like a cage. It was the barrier Orochimaru had set up to keep Sasuke locked away in his own subconscious. Itachi quickened his pace, stepping towards the bars. As soon as he got close, everything around him vanished to be replaced with pure blackness. He couldn't even see what he was walking upon. The only thing there was Sasuke in his cage.

He was officially in his little brother's subconscious.

Swallowing, he walked forwards until he was next to the cage.

"_Sasuke,"_ he called, his voice echoing. It was eerie, hearing himself. It didn't sound human, but there was no mistaking the voice as his own.

A soft gasp brought his attention back to his little brother. Sasuke's head was turned towards him, blurry onyx eyes struggling to focus on his form.

"_Itachi...You're here..."_ Sasuke breathed, and his voice was weak and broken. Itachi nodded, trying not to break down at the pitiful sight that was his brother. He reached out a hand to try and touch Sasuke, but before he could get close enough, the metal bars expanded and block his way. It felt like an electric current had shot through his hand, and he pulled back. The bars sank back into place.

"_Itachi, I can't escape from here,"_ Sasuke moaned softly, despair apparent on his face and in his voice. _"I've tried...but I just can't..."_

Itachi nodded. He had already know this. Kakashi hadn't left out a single detail of what he needed to do, or what would happen.

"_Sasuke, you need to listen to me very carefully. I'm going to explain to you what you need to do to save yourself and Naruto..and the rest of us. Can you focus, little brother?"_

Sasuke whimpered, shaking his head before he let out a low growl. Itachi waited, watching as Sasuke literally beat himself into doing what he needed to do.

"_What...what must I do? Itachi, tell me how to end this...please..."_

Itachi nodded resolutely.

"_Sasuke, your Sharingan is the key to ending this," _he began and waited for Sasuke to refocus his eyes. _"You Sharingan has another power; one which we weren't aware of until now. Premonitions isn't the only thing your eyes can do. You've got a special Sharingan...it's something that only one other Uchiha has ever had. You're Sharingan has the ability to control demons."_

Sasuke's breathing quickened. _"What does that mean?"_

"_It means that you can control the demon sealed within Naruto. You can control the Kyuubi."_

"_N-Naruto...has a demon?"_

"_We'll get to that later, Sasuke. Trust me on this!" _Itachi growled, and Sasuke swallowed back his questions, nodding weakly.

"_Right. Sasuke, you can still use your Sharingan, even in your subconscious. It's going to be hard...it will hurt like nothing you've ever experienced before...but you need to fight through the pain and concentrate and the outside world. I will create an opening for you, in which you will be able to look Naruto in the eye. From then on, you need to concentrate on telling the Kyuubi to remove Orochimaru's spirit from your body entirely...It's your only chance, Sasuke. The Kyuubi will be able to destroy Orochimaru, but it won't know to remove it unless you make it. Naruto cannot control it himself to the full extent. Right now, the Kyuubi is feeding off his emotions of fear and the need to fight off the evil going after him."_

Sasuke let out a sob, his body shaking. _"Itachi, I... I don't k-know if I can d-do that!"_ he gasped.

Itachi growled, once more letting his hand move forwards. The bars expanded rapidly and he pulled his hand back. When the bars had moved out of his way, he glared at his little brother with red eyes.

"_You can and you will! You're an Uchiha! And an Uchiha never backs down for anything, especially not when those they love are in danger!"_

Sasuke winced at his brother's tone, but slowly began to nod. His arms moved and pushed him up with great effort. He panted heavily, his body wracked with shivers.

"_...I'll do it...I'm an Uchiha...I can do this..."_ he was mumbling to himself, his eyes squeezing shut.

Itachi nodded when he felt a tug. His time was almost up. _"I have to go now. Sasuke, focus on the outside world and wait for the opening I make. You'll only have a few seconds to work with...Be quick."_

Sasuke nodded, his eyes still closed. _"I unders-stand..."_

Itachi sent one last glance that Sasuke missed. The elder Uchiha's eyes were glistening as he turned away.

'_It's all or nothing now..._'

* * *

Itachi was pulled to the present and he let out a yell as he dived to the side, barely avoiding a slicing wall of water heading his way. He was back in his body, and Orochimaru was targeting him now. With a grunt, he stumbled to his feet and quickly ran backwards, hand grabbing something on the surface of the rock. A cry slipped from his mouth when a wall of boiling water almost washed over him, the edges catching his back. He hissed as his skin burned and skidded to a stop just before he fell over the edge of the stone block he was standing on.

He turned around, seeing Orochimaru taking slow, unsteady steps. Sasuke was running out of time; his physical body wouldn't be able to take much more.

Swallowing, Itachi squeezed his hand around the object he picked up. It seemed to be a piece of concrete. It would have to suffice.

There was a deep, menacing growl from behind him and he slowly turned his head to peer over his shoulder.

Naruto was on his feet, glaring deeply at him and Orochimaru. He was taking slow, heavy steps forward, the flames around him flickering and swirling. Itachi could feel their heat approaching.

The Uchiha waited until each of the demons were at an equal distance from him before he took a breath.

'_Go!'_

Itachi threw his hand out, jumping backwards at the exact same time. The concrete piece in his hand flew through the air, and the two demon's trained their eyes on it automatically. As the piece started to fall, Itachi called out.

"NOW SASUKE! NOW!"

Sasuke's body twitched and at the moment the rock became level with both his and Naruto's eyes, the younger Uchiha's eyes turned from bright yellow to bright red.

A thin beam of white light seemed to stream from their sudden eye contact. When either side of the thin light met the concrete piece, it shattered outwards; in its place was a strange, red atom shape that glowed brightly between them.

'_That is Sasuke's Mangekyo Sharingan...The spiritual energy is strong enough to have a visible shape!' _Itachi thought in awe. It was an amazing sight to behold.

Naruto let out a roar, his eyes twitching but unable to swerve away. Sasuke's eyes were in the same predicament, and inside the Uchiha's subconscious, he was screaming.

The pain was, as Itachi had warned, unlike anything he'd ever experienced. There were no human words to describe what his body was feeling, and no amount of writhing, screaming or anything was able to dull it.

As the glowing spiritual energy continued to brighten and grow, Sasuke's eyes began to bleed. Itachi had moved back, his eyes watching the spectacle.

A sudden pulse ran through the air, starting at the glowing red shape between the demons. Itachi cried out as he was thrown backwards, landing on the very edge of the stone island. His bare back was scratched and bleeding from the fall and he hissed, struggling to get upright as the ground trembled massively.

'_Okay, I know that the surface felt that one!'_

* * *

Naruto opened his eyes. They were still blurred and he could feel the warmth of the swaying tails around him. He was still in that strange and comforting place. His eyes slid closed again, and he was ready to slip back into sleep when something in the air shifted.

His eyes snapped open and the blurriness was gone when he heard a low growl emit from the large creature that had been nursing him. Sitting up, he looked around and gasped when he saw the giant fox beside him. The beast's red eyes were trained down a tunnel that branched off. It was the only entrance into the strange and giant dungeon they were in. The tails around him were twitching and thrashing with greater speed, and Naruto climbed off of their warmth. The beast turned to look at him, the growling coming to a stop and instead a low purr rumbling out. It slowly leant down, the tip of its nose gently nudging against Naruto's cheek.

Taking a breath to calm himself, he reached up and cautiously stroked along the creature's face. Its eyes closed in contentment and Naruto melted with relief. At least he wasn't about to get eaten alive.

Suddenly, he heard another sound. It sounded like the spray of an ocean against rocks. The fox's ears perked up, its red eyes widening and suddenly it was growling again. Naruto stepped back, yelping when the fox turned its head to look down the same tunnel it was before. The growling escalated into an unending rumble and the fur on its neck and back started to rise.

Curious, Naruto edged sideways to get a view of the tunnel. Tails whipped around him the moment he was within view of the dark entrance, and he felt glad that the large fox was protecting him.

"...You must be Kyuubi..." he mumbled, and a tail nudged his back in reply. "I want to see," he said softly, trying to pry apart the furry barrier. The strange noise was getting louder and he could almost hear a new noise.

"...uto!"

His breath froze in his throat, and his blue eyes widened dramatically.

"...to! Na...to!"

Air came rushing back and his hands started to tug on the tails with greater urgency. He had to see now. He had to confirm whether or not he was really there.

"Open! Let me through! Let me through!" he yelled, beating his fist against the tail. There was a huff from behind him and the tails opened up slightly. Naruto pushed through, his eyes staring down the tunnel. His heart raced at the sight and he felt faint.

"Naruto!"

Running at full speed towards him was Sasuke. His face was pale, gaunt and bloody and his skin looked burnt and inflamed. His eyes were bloodshot and the irises were a bright red. Naruto trembled where he stood as Sasuke continued to run towards him. Behind the raven boy was something that made the blond want to scream.

Snakes.

An endless horde of monstrous snakes was chasing Sasuke down the hall, hissing and snapping as they went. They were on the floor, the walls, even the roof; transparent and corporeal. It didn't matter what they were, the snakes were there and they were moving fast.

"Sasu...SASUKE!" Naruto screamed. He was about to run forwards and grab his oncoming boyfriend when there was a roar from Kyuubi and a thick tail wrapped around his waist. The blond yelled out in anger, struggling against the furry appendage. "Let me go! LET ME GO! I HAVE TO HELP HIM!" he roared, his arm stretching out for Sasuke.

Sasuke continued to run, his body screaming in pain. He ignored it as much as he could, his fear of what was chasing him driving him on. He could see Naruto; could see his outstretched hand, and he held out his own. His fingers were aching to touch their tan counterparts and he ran faster than he had ever run in his entire life.

"NARUTO!"

"SASUKE!"

From the snakes erupted a monstrous white viper that let out a thunderous hiss and shot forwards towards the fleeing teen. Sasuke cried out in fear when he heard Orochimaru's voice calling for him to come back.

"_You're mine! Your body is mine, your soul is mine! This world is MINE!"_

"DESTROY HIM!" Sasuke screamed, eyes burning into Naruto's. "DESTROY HIM NOW!"

Naruto stretched as far as he could, his hand held out for Sasuke to grab. The snakes were getting closer, and the white viper was gaining speed. Naruto glared over his shoulder at the demon fox behind him.

"You heard him! DESTROY THAT THING!" he roared, his voice bordering feral and his eyes flashing red. Kyuubi stared down at him for a moment before the edges of its fur began to burn and flay out. Fire erupted around the chamber as Kyuubi raised its head to look down the tunnel. Its lips pulled back in a snarl, white teeth glowing in the brightening light. The walls began to burn, and swirls of fire started to appear around Naruto and the chamber. The tunnel Sasuke was running down grew brighter as the room ahead burned more and more.

The snakes started to make shrieking noises, the hissing reaching a new pitch. The giant viper opened its mouth and from its throat, a man with long black hair and sheet white skin pushed out.

"_THIS WORLD IS MINE!"_ Orochimaru screamed, yellow eyes wild and saliva running down his features from the snake's mouth.

Kyuubi reared its head as Sasuke reached the final stretch of corridor. Naruto was yelling, his hand reaching out. Sasuke's arm was stretched out as he barrelled towards the blond.

Orochimaru let out a psychotic roar and Kyuubi's head lurched forwards, its mouth opening wide in a roar. Gigantic jets of fire streamed out from the fox's mouth, flooding the corridor. The snakes shrieked as they were engulfed in the flames, burning to a crisp in seconds. Orochimaru's scream was thunderous as his body began to burn and turn to ash before his very eyes.

Naruto was deaf to the pained roars of the dying demon. His eyes were wide and his mouth open in a scream as he watched Sasuke get lost in the flood of fire. His hand was still outstretched, and he was calling the raven's name over and over.

The fire was burning brighter as Kyuubi's roar increased in volume and Naruto could feel the tears starting to stream down his cheeks as his vision was privy to the sight of nothing but furious red and yellow flames.

The light reached its pinnacle, becoming a blinding white.

Naruto felt something soft press against his hand.

"_Naruto..."_

On the surface, everyone cried out as a vicious quake rocked the neighbourhood and a few blocks away the ground was torn open from below.

* * *

**Only like...one more chapter left...maybe two.**

***is ambushed by readers* WOAH WOAH WOAH! DX DON'T MAIM THE AUTHOR!**

** But yeah...:| we're reaching the end now. **

**XD I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and that it KNOCKED YOUR SOCKS OFF!...Ha ha, I wish. ¬_¬**

**Reviews would, as always, be LOVELY!**

**ALSO! In case you haven't checked out my dA page...AGENT DUCK-BUTT is coming soon! :D Maybe sometime next week!  
**


	20. Carry On My Wayward Sons

**Well, here we go! Only one more chapter after this and then Rei-Senzai: Possession will be finished! **

**Now, some of you have asked if I am going to do a third installment of this series...and I will tell you all now: ... I honestly don't know. I enjoy the RS series, because I enjoy the topic matter. Ghosts and paranormal things have always appealed to me, so to write about them this way is fun for me, and I hope for you as well! I don't have any serious ideas for a third Rei-Senzai story, so for now I can't promise a third. And a lot of the small little cases will be going into the Rei-Senzai X-Files. I do plan to continue with that, I've got another case I'm going to be adding to it rather soon. That might count as the third I suppose, since it is the same universe and such. But who knows, I might get struck with an idea for a third, but for now just assume that the RS X-Files are the only continuation of this series.**

**Now then, I don't want to keep you waiting any longer so I'll hurry this up with a quick thank you to all my amazing readers and thank you ALL for the reviews and compliments you've given me over time with this story. I love you all (no homo for the girls...okay maybe a bit homo ;D) and yeah, just...really you guys have done so much for me! **

**Warnings: death, language, light yaoi.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto characters. I do, however, own the O.C's! ...YAY!**

* * *

**Carry On My Wayward Sons**

A cold breeze blew through the air, taking with it the lightweight petals and leaves that littered the grass. A lone white petal from one of the many Sakura trees around fluttered through the air like a butterfly without thought. The small piece of nature was stopped in its graceful path by the material covered arm of a solitary figure. The petal struggled against the surface of the cloth before finally being free. It fluttered away and came to a rest on a headstone resting before the lone man.

Itachi stared at the gravestone before him with blank eyes. His posture was straight and his features were fixed and hard. A strand of black hair slid across his cheek and waved before his eyes in the wind, but still he did not move an inch.

A hand collapsed onto his shoulder and he twitched as Kisame came up from behind, his eyes looking at the grave with remorse.

"...You okay, Itachi?" the man asked softly, concern evident in his voice. Itachi swallowed lightly, his eyes finally leaving the stone before him and shifting to the man beside him. An almost imperceptible nod was made and Kisame removed his hand with a soft sigh.

"...How are the others?" Itachi murmured, his voice hoarse from little use. Kisame looked to the sky.

"Sakura's still devastated...she's not talking to anyone, even Ino. Kiba's also keeping quiet. I don't know what's running through his mind, and frankly I'm scared to find out. The others are holding up decently I guess...but no one's really in a good place right now," he reported slowly.

Itachi nodded, eyes focused on the ground. He took a steady breath and slid his hands into his pockets.

"...I'll be on my way then," he murmured. He waited for a moment, a breeze blowing a small petal past. With another sigh, he took a step forward. Before he could move any further, however, he was engulfed in a fierce hug. Kisame held him close, his arms wrapped around Itachi's torso. His face was pressing into Itachi's shoulder.

"You did everything you could, Itachi," he whispered and Itachi's lip trembled slightly. "You did all that you possibly could. No one can blame you for anything that happened. And there's nothing you could have done afterwards to change the outcome."

Itachi let his head fall back slightly. "...It's hard," he breathed and Kisame nodded against his neck before pulling back slightly. His face was pulled into a sad smile.

"No one ever said it would be easy. But no matter what happened and no matter what happens...we just have to carry on," he said wisely and Itachi hung his head for a moment before nodding.

"I know...I know."

Kisame wrapped an arm around Itachi's shoulders and led him away from the cemetery and the fresh grave, still decorated with white flowers and a portrait. Before they had completely cleared the path, two figures appeared at the gates and made them stop.

Kisame looked down at the new arrivals and smiled sadly.

"Come to pay your respects now that the service is over?" he asked softly and received a nod.

"It took a while to convince Ma to let us leave the house at all," Kamurou said, shrugging his shoulder lightly. His face was a bit paler than usual. Beside him Kao sidled up, arms firmly holding the crutches he was sporting. His right foot was wrapped in a cast as he ambled his way around the uneven ground.

"I hate crutches," he grumbled to himself before looking up. "We won't be long...Apparently my 'actions of recklessness have acquired the both of us a curfew as well as a life sentence of double chores until we learn our lesson in the pits of dishwashing hell'. At least that's what _mommy_ says." His eyes rolled dramatically at the end, and Kisame chuckled slightly.

The two men watched as the twins sauntered up to the grave, their heads tilting opposite ways as they observed it in silence.

After a moment, Kamurou spoke up.

"It's odd...truthfully, we never knew him that well. And yet it's still upsetting...Death is always upsetting I suppose," he added, turning to look at his twin. Kao nodded; his eyes dim.

"It was just..._unexpected_ I suppose. None of us saw it coming until it was already over."

Itachi shivered slightly, and Kisame squeezed his shoulder. "We'll be going now," he called to the twins. They nodded, turning and making their own way out of the cemetery after saying a small prayer at the grave.

Kisame followed the Uchiha through the large iron-wrought gates of Konoha Cemetery. They climbed into the white van, closing the doors with a thick slam behind them before Kisame started up the car.

"...Where to?" he asked quietly and Itachi sighed.

"It's almost visiting hours," he mumbled, eyes peering out the window. Kisame nodded, pulling away from the curb. He already knew exactly where Itachi wanted to go.

* * *

**-One Week Earlier-**

Itachi coughed, the heavy weight of a concrete slab pressing onto his stomach making it difficult to breathe. All around him was smoke and debris, and he struggled to see anything through the dust, dirt, grime and filthy water. He could hear a lot of noise, aside from the rumble of concrete sliding down. It sounded like alarms and sirens, and he hoped to God he wasn't in the middle of a war. Of course he batted that strange thought away when he remembered that there was no war going on.

Groaning in pain, he gritted his teeth tightly and pushed on the slab covering him. Luckily it wasn't entirely resting on him, but only slightly. He pushed and pushed, muscles protesting unhappily but he kept going. Finally, the slab tumbled over and off of him and with another fit of coughing he turned onto his stomach and pushed himself up onto all fours. Choking on the air around him, he hacked a bit, spitting out onto the stone. He was shaking and suddenly he realized how cold he was. His shirt was long gone and his bare skin was wet and injured, and the cool night air was...

His eyes widened and he looked up, his heart skipping a few beats at the sight.

The sky greeted him, red and dusty. All around him was a gigantic crater, the remnants of road lying shattered around him. Sewer pipes were burst and spitting water, and small fires were still burning in several areas, but slowly they died out under the sprinkle of rain still falling from the sky.

A lamp post was hanging overhead, the metal pole bent and warped from the explosion. Its light was still on, flickering every now and then. It shined down upon Itachi, illuminating the dust swirling in the air as he stood up, his breathing coming out as shallow hisses of air. Slowly, he turned in a circle, taking in the damage of the area with horrified eyes.

"My God," he breathed as his shoulders trembled. He took a step forward, crying out when his leg gave out. With a hiss, he gripped his shin, feeling something wet seeping through his jeans. Pulling back a hand, he realized it was blood. It seemed the concrete had crushed his leg a bit more than he originally thought. He forced himself to stand and took a step, biting back any sounds of pain.

Shakily, he walked through the destruction, his one arm gripping his other as a cut oozed some blood. It wasn't too deep, thankfully and soon the bleeding halted altogether. He pushed past a piece of metal protruding from the ground, the edge gleaming in the lamplight. Waving away some dust, he looked around the wreckage.

His eyes caught sight of something that wasn't made of stone, and he froze.

There was a pile of broken rock and metal, just like many others. However, from a crevice in the rock was an arm protruding out, fingers limp and bloody. Sucking in a breath that only hurt his lungs more than when he'd had no air, Itachi started to stumble forwards.

He reached the rock and realized that the hand belonged to Kakashi.

"Shit! Shit!" he started to spit, reaching up and grabbing the first rock. With grunts and pained growls, he pulled away rock after rock. Kakashi's face came into view and Itachi reached down, slapping at the man's cheek and checking for a pulse.

"Oh God...Oh my God," he gasped, his eyes becoming wet as he gripped his old friend.

He heard voices before the sound of his name cut through the air. Looking up, he saw the entire crew and standing at the edge of the crater, looking down with wide eyes.

"ITACHI!" Kisame called, his voice breaking. Without any hesitation, he jumped into the crater, sliding down the sides. Kiba followed right after him, along with Neji, Lee, Sasori and Deidara.

When they reached the bottom, they ran straight for Itachi. Their faces were pale in shock and horror as they came to a stop, taking in the damage.

"W-what...what the fuck happened?" Kiba stammered, his head twisting every which way.

Itachi gulped. "We...We need..." he couldn't finish his sentence, his gaze shifting back to Kakashi's limp form. The others moved to see and Lee actually let out a yelp of horror.

"Our leader!" he gasped. "We must get help immediately!" he turned, sprinting back up the side of the crater and easily jumping up. "Call an ambulance! Quickly!" he ordered, as the others scrambled about.

Sasori and Deidara began to move away the rocks and metal surrounding Kakashi. Sasori waved his hands in the air, strings of spiritual energy snapping from his fingers and onto the rocks. With practised concentration and design, the puppeteer moved away the rocks and tossed them aside while Deidara struggled to get Kakashi out of the pile without moving him too much lest it worsen his injuries.

When the blond held Kakashi, his hand slipped over the man's neck and his blue eyes widened. With a look of terror, he turned to his companion.

"S-Sasori..." he stammered and the red-heads eyes glossed.

He didn't say a word but walked over, placing a hand on Deidara's arm and steering him back to the side of the crater.

Meanwhile Kiba was jumping around the area, pushing aside rocks and debris in a desperate search. Neji did the same while Kisame helped Itachi move about; the injury on his leg was getting worse.

"Just sit down, Itachi. We're searching now!" Kisame ordered nervously, trying to coax the man into rest but Itachi shook him off.

"I'm not stopping until my little brother and Naruto are found!" he snapped angrily and then winced when his leg was jolted.

"Over there!" Neji yelled suddenly, pointing to the left. His eyes were activated and his face looked grave. "Oh no..."

Kiba vaulted towards the area. The others saw him come to a sudden halt, his skin going sheet white.

"...Fuck..." the boy whimpered and the tears were visible in his eyes.

Itachi began to tremble as he pushed himself towards the area. His heart was beating a mile a minute and his breathing turned into sharp gasps as he finally reached Kiba.

A whimper escaped the oldest Uchiha, his eyes glistening at the scene before him.

The ground was cracked and jagged, and a small moat of water surrounded the stone slab. Lying there in the dead centre were two bodies.

Naruto was on his back, his head turned away. His hair was matted down, casting dark shadows over his eyes and hiding them from view. His clothes were torn and singed, and they could see a line of blood down his chin. His leg was twisted awkwardly, as if it had been pulled roughly by something as he fell. His left arm was lying up by his head, fingers looking broken. His right arm lay stretched out far beside him.

Opposite him lay Sasuke on his stomach. The normally pale skin was bruised and burnt and inflamed. Scratches marred a good portion of his body and blood was seen almost everywhere on his person. His hair was splayed out, also covering much of his face. They could, however, see one of his eyes. The pale lid was half closed with only white being seen underneath. Blood was leaking from his eye, trailing tear tracks down his battered cheeks. His arm was also outstretched, and his bleeding hand was clasping Naruto's outstretched hand tightly.

Neither of them was moving an inch.

Kiba fell to his knees, staring at the two of them in a stunned devastation. Itachi would have fallen too had Kisame not pulled him against him, holding him up when his muscles gave out. He felt boneless and flopped like a ragdoll in the larger man's arms. After a moment he realized that he was saying something over and over.

"-No no no no no no no-" he was repeating the word, each time getting faster and louder. The surroundings faded away and soon all he could make out was the two bodies lying before him. His voice grew frantic and broken until suddenly he was screaming and thrashing in Kisame's arms. "NOOOOOOO!"

Kisame struggled to hold him upright and hold him back. He was clutching Itachi tightly to his chest, his own face becoming wet from tears as he took in the situation.

Itachi's hair was flying about his face as he struggled, the physical pain no longer registering in his mind. The pain in his heart, however, was unbearable. It seared through every fibre of his being like a white hot knife, and he couldn't stop his screams of despair. Tears were falling freely as his lungs let the world know that he was hurting...that his world was ending.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" he screamed into the sky, collapsing into Kisame's hold as his strength vanished along with any form of composure or sane thought. Kisame continued to hold him, hugging him tightly and taking his sobs.

Kiba had his face buried in his hands, his shoulders heaving as he sobbed to himself. He hunched over more and more until finally his head was pressing into the hard floor and his hands were beating against the jagged stone, bleeding and getting scratched in the process. Still he cried and beat his hands, uncaring.

Itachi didn't register when the others came down into the crater. He didn't hear the girls' screams or the gasps and cries of his comrades. He just continued to cry out in pain. He cried until his voice left him and he was just choking on empty air.

His world was crashing around him and he was suffocating under the rubble of emotions. Everything was cold and empty, and his heartbeat was slowing down to a dull, unwanted beat. He wished he could reach into his chest and rip it out, because it was keeping him alive. It was keeping him awake for this self-apocalypse.

His fingers came up to scratch at his chest in a vain attempt to reach his heart. Before he could do more than get a droplet of blood or two, his hand was ripped away and Kisame was whispering frantic nothings into his ear. He couldn't decipher anything the man was saying. He could even hear him to be honest. Sound was nonexistent to him, as was anything but the pain pulsing through his soul.

Suddenly, he looked up. His eyes burned as the Sharingan spun wildly and he directed his gaze to the bodies on the floor.

As before, time seemed to slow down around him as colours vanished into various shades of gray.

He pushed himself forward, leaving his physical body behind in Kisame's arms. Drifting through the air as if it were water, he sniffled and whimpered unconsciously as he approached the bodies on the floor. He knelt down, his blurred and trailing hands moving to rest upon the heads of the boys before him. He couldn't truly feel them, but his mind supplied enough. His eyes closed and two tears trailed down each of his cheeks. They dissolved into nothing the moment they left his skin and he let out a sob.

"Why?" he whispered brokenly, opening his eyes to gaze at their still forms. "Why did this happen?"

He hunched over, his hands tightening. "...You can't take them from me...please!" he begged and a sob wracked his body. "...They're all I have left."

Silence was his answer and for several minutes, he sat sobbing silently. Then his eyes widened before he returned to his physical body in a flash and the world resumed.

Someone's fingers had twitched.

* * *

Kisame's hand on his shoulder snapped Itachi out of his nap and he straightened in his sleep.

"Hey. Thought you could do with a coffee," Kisame said, smiling as he handed him the steaming Styrofoam cup. Itachi grunted a thanks, taking a sip of the liquid and closing his eyes in relaxation.

"It's good," he mumbled and Kisame smiled as he pulled up a chair next to the Uchiha. He sat down, sipping his own coffee before turning his attention to the figure lying beside him.

"So, what news do the doctors have?" he asked softly.

Itachi leant back in his seat and gripped his cup tightly. He looked at the still figure on the bed and his lips lowered in a frown.

"The doctor says that practically his entire body was crushed. They are, understandably, baffled by how he got such severe injuries but it's not as if we could say he was thrown against the wall by a raging fiery demon. In both cases," he paused and took a sip of his coffee. Licking his lips, he continued. "They are not only confused as to how they have survived...they are also ripping their hair out over the fact that he is healing abnormally well. It's a slow process, but if things go well...He'll be perfectly fine by the end with little to no reminders of this at all."

Kisame let out a low whistle, his hands twirling his half empty cup. "Damn...that's some power. How are we going to convince the doctors not to keep them for experiments?"

"I called in a favour actually...courtesy of a very angry Jiraiya."

"How did he take the news about...about Naruto?" Kisame asked slowly.

"I barely escaped with my life," Itachi replied with a brief smirk before it was wiped away. "...This was too close. I almost..."

Kisame smiled, petting Itachi's shoulder in an understanding manner. "I know...It sure is lucky that they are who they are though, right?" he said teasingly before he leant against the bed, smirking at the pale raven fast asleep under the covers. "If Naruto wasn't head over heels in love with Sasuke, the Kyuubi never would've used its own power to start healing him."

Itachi nodded, activating his Sharingan. He observed the thick streams of fiery red spiritual energy coursing through Sasuke's body, repairing bones and tendons and tissue...all about resurrecting his should-be-dead little brother. He let his eyes fade back to black and smiled.

"Luck has nothing to do with it. This was all planned."

Kisame sent him a confused look, but Itachi shrugged it off. He sipped his coffee again. "Kakashi's healing will take longer. He's going to be out of commission for a few months I'd bet."

Kisame nodded sadly. "...Say, how come he wasn't dead? I mean, I'm ecstatic that he's alive and he's going to be fine but...like Sasuke, he _should've_ been dead. What happened?" he inquired.

Itachi's lips curled into a smirk as he pressed his cup edge to his teeth. "Let's just say his Guardian Angel has the will of an Uchiha," he said mysteriously and chuckled at the perplexed look sent his way.

'_You're a sly dog, Uncle...the Uchiha ancestors will be so proud when you finally let go of this world._'

* * *

Those moments were burned into Itachi's memory forever. The moment the ambulance arrived and carried the limp forms of Sasuke, Naruto and Kakashi away. A fourth body was taken in the ambulance, but Itachi didn't know who it was until after it. The news that one of the ghoul's victims had been injured worse than first appearance, and had died on the operating table, was a shock to them all. Sakura had taken it very hard, as she had been the one to incorrectly diagnose him as okay. She refused to talk to anyone, choosing instead to lock herself away and study harder than ever so as to avoid ever, _ever_, making that fatal mistake again.

Itachi had never been as scared of death as he had that night, and it had not been the fear of his own fatality, but rather the fear of his brother's mortality and that of Naruto as well as Kakashi. Those three people, so different, were so important to him. Sasuke was his world, his family and his light. He never quite let on just how much Sasuke meant to him, but if he ever died, Itachi would never get over it. Losing his parents was one thing, but he would never recover if Sasuke was taken from him too. And as for Naruto; he had grown fond of the boy. Not only did Naruto make Sasuke happy, and give him the light that had vanished from his eyes the day their parents died, but he was a joy for all...a small human sun that lit up the world and took away the darkness in people's hearts. Itachi thought of him as family, and to lose him would be devastating. And finally Kakashi. Itachi's oldest and most trusted friend. Kakashi had been there for him through almost everything; from his parent's deaths to the battle with the social workers for custody for Sasuke, to fighting raging spirits and tackling the most mundane things like homework, babysitting and giving Sasuke 'The Talk' when he started questioning. If Kakashi were to die, Itachi would be lost.

And so the ride in the ambulance, with medics tending to him as well as the others, Itachi had been truly scared of what lay beyond that night. The hours he spent in the hospital had felt like years, draining him of life and energy as he fretted and worried and begged and pleaded. When the doctors had emerged from the operating room, bloodied gloves being pulled off, Itachi had almost gone into cardiac arrest then and there.

"They are all very lucky...somehow they've survived this entire ordeal...It's a medical miracle..."

The phrases used were all mashed together and unclear in beginning or end to Itachi, who could only register that they were all _alive_.

He had cried again that night; the second time tears of gratitude to God for sparing them and letting him keep his family.

Just over three weeks had passed since then, and Itachi came to the hospital every day to check up on the three people he cared for so much.

He had, truthfully, asked a few favours and they had almost cost him his left nut and a few limbs.

Jiraiya had been, to put it kindly, absolutely _livid _upon hearing what happened to Naruto. The man had shouted up an apocalypse until finally a nurse had come in to see if he was alright and make sure he wasn't going to have a heart attack from all the stress. When the old man had seen Naruto for the first time; lying in bed with bruises and broken bones and an oxygen mask over his face, Jiraiya had almost taken Itachi's head off in one fowl swoop.

However, after much begging for forgiveness in which Itachi had literally thrown away his pride and bowed to the man before him, Jiraiya had pulled him into a tearful hug.

"They're okay though...they're going to live..." he had whispered and Itachi had nodded, briefly returning the embrace before repeating his request for a favour.

Jiraiya had called in the favours Itachi requested. As it turned out, an old acquaintance had started to work at the hospital a while back and was now in a managerial position.

Itachi had gained a new fear that day too.

That fear's name was Tsunade.

The old orphanage caretaker-turned doctor had just about blown a fuse when she found out every little detail of what went on. Tsunde had ended up pulling more strings than Sasori could've ever dreamed of and soon the Rei-Senzai Inc. was pardoned from questioning on their medical statuses.

Of course, all those favours came with a price, and Itachi could never look at a bottle of sake the same way again.

He was seated next to Sasuke's bedside, reading a book to pass the time. He was now patiently waiting for some sort of news other than how miraculous it was that everyone was even alive at all, since it had been weeks since everything happened.

Something caught his eye, and he turned to look at the T.V in the corner of the room, attached to the ceiling. It was on a news station, and so he quickly grabbed the remote and turned it up slightly.

"-officials are still struggling to determine the cause of the blast that happened little over two weeks ago near Konoha High School in the Hito suburban area. Underground Workings Manager Momochi Zabuza says that they suspect that a gasoline line exploded, taking half the street with it. While many are sceptical over this idea, no one has been able to provide a better revelation as to what caused this massive and most unexpected event. Luckily, injuries were minimal and there was a total of only one casualty, that of a sewer worker who died on the way to the hospital. Other survivors included two other workers who had escaped, along with two young school girls who claim to have been wandering home that evening after a late night. Approximately four others were injured in the blast, however the severities of their wounds and their identities have been asked to remain private. While the public is curious as to why this is, Police Official Kotonaha Luka assures the newspapers that these individuals were not connected to the explosion and have been thoroughly questioned. Reconstruction of the roads is scheduled to be completed by-"

Itachi hit the mute button, no longer interested in the news. He leant back in his seat, stretching before he turned to survey his younger brother. Sasuke still had an oxygen mask over his face, and plenty of bandages wrapped around his limbs and chest and even his head. His eyelids fluttered on occasion, but Itachi knew by now it wasn't anything to indicate he was waking up. It was more a reflex of pain. After all, having one's body regenerate at an unnaturally high speed was bound to sting a little.

He rubbed at his temples languidly, thinking over everything that had happened to them over the past year. It was incredible just how strange their life was. Sure, they did take a profession of hunting supernatural creatures but Itachi had never once expected something like this to happen. Demons had never crossed his mind.

A soft groan made him look down at his brother's still form, and his eyes opened wider at seeing Sasuke's head slowly tilt to the side. Another soft moan was heard, and he realized that Sasuke was speaking; his voice was muffled by the oxygen mask he wore. Itachi leant over and carefully unclipped the object, pulling it away enough to hear Sasuke's soft murmurs.

"Ita...chi..."

"I'm here Sasuke," he answered softly, brushing a lock of hair from the sweaty and pale face. Sasuke's brows furrowed in his sleep and his head twitched to the other side. Itachi watched his arm start to twitch, his fingers stretching as if he was trying to reach for something. He activated his Sharingan, hoping that there was nothing wrong. However, the Kyuubi's spiritual energy was still healing his brother, and nothing else seemed out of place. However, just before he deactivated his eyes, he saw it; a small spike of Sasuke's spiritual energy starting from his heart and spreading outwards throughout his body.

"N...Naruto..."

Itachi smiled as he leant back, watching as Sasuke slowly woke up and Kyuubi's spiritual energy started to fade.

It looked like Sasuke was finally healed.

"Time to wake up Sasuke."

* * *

Sasuke fiddled with a strand of grass between his fingers. He observed the bright green blade closely before holding it on the tip of his finger and blowing it away. He watched its progress through the air as it floated across the field and finally vanished in a gust of warm wind. He sighed, looking at the bright blue sky.

He knew that he wasn't alive. This whole area wasn't a real place. But somehow, he had a feeling he wasn't quite dead yet either. He decided that he must be in a limbo of sorts; not living and yet not dead. He lay back in the field, spreading out his arms and closing his eyes. He wondered why he wasn't moving on. Perhaps he had unfinished business? He couldn't really remember much.

A soft thudding met his ears, and he held his breath. Was that the reaper coming to claim his soul?

"Sasuke?"

His eyes opened, and he sat upright. There, only a few yards away was a large fox with many tails sweeping along behind it. It cocked its large head to the side, red eyes surveying him with a sense of bored scrutiny. Sitting on its back, looking confused, lost and all around out of place, was Naruto.

Sasuke pushed himself to his feet and took a step forward. Dandelion seed heads were scattered across the field, and as he took that step the small white seeds erupted around him. Caught on the never ending breeze in this limbo place, the white fluffy seeds floated through the air, surrounding both him and Naruto, who jumped off the fox's back and started to walk towards the raven.

Sasuke stared at Naruto, unsure if he should believe his eyes and his heart. Was Naruto real, or was it an illusion he had conjured during his last moments?

A hand slid into his own and he broke out of his thoughts to look into the clear blue eyes staring back at him with relief, happiness and love.

"Sasuke...it's really you, isn't it?" Naruto whispered slowly, gazing over Sasuke's face. The features that had morphed it into Orochimaru's visage were gone, leaving only the familiar face of the Uchiha.

Sasuke reached around and held Naruto's other hand. He could remember now. Orochimaru had taken over his body. He had been locked away in his own subconscious...he had been hurting Naruto.

"Yeah," his voice broke and he cleared his throat before he smiled. "Yeah, it's me."

Naruto wrapped his arms around Sasuke's shoulders, pulling him into a tight hug while he breathed a heavy sigh of relief against his neck. Sasuke returned the embrace with equal ferocity. Naruto was there in his arms. What more could he want?

Naruto pulled away first, and placed a gentle kiss on Sasuke's lips. When he looked into the dark onyx eyes, he frowned.

"I'm so sorry Sasuke."

Sasuke felt his stomach drop at the words. He held onto Naruto tightly, afraid that if he let go the boy would vanish and he would too.

"What for?" he asked nervously. Naruto reached up a hand and touched a spot on Sasuke's cheek. He winced, eyes widening when the spot started to sting.

"I...I ended up hurting you really badly," Naruto murmured, touching several other spots. Sasuke winced with every touch, feeling pain start to spread out. He reached up his own hand and swiped across a spot that hurt. Pulling his hand back, he gasped at seeing blood and his eyes snapped back to Naruto. He saw his own horror reflected much more subtly in the blue eyes he loved so much. Swallowing, he wrapped his arms around Naruto's waist, and it was then he could feel the burns he had on his skin.

"It's okay," he murmured, his breath catching when he felt his bones start to splinter. "Whatever happened...it was not your fault." His breathing became shallower as his legs gave out. Naruto gasped as they fell to the floor, and he quickly manoeuvred them so that Sasuke was on his lap, in his arms.

"Sasuke!"

Sasuke was gasping for breath now. He could feel himself dying slowly in this limbo, and he only hoped that Naruto would be able to get out alive.

"I-It's okay," he breathed, trying to smile but it ended up as a pained grimace. "It's not y-your fault..."

Naruto held him close, his eyes starting to water. "No...No it is! I should've controlled myself or...or gotten help or," he bit his lip, hands caressing Sasuke's burnt and bleeding cheeks gently. He leant over, placing a tender kiss on Sasuke's forehead.

Sasuke relaxed, drawing in shallow breaths as he stared up at Naruto. Weakly he reached up a hand, and returned the gentle caress with a shaky one of his own.

"I love you," he whispered and Naruto trembled.

"I l-love you too," he replied shakily. Sasuke did manage to smile this time.

"Kiss me?" he mumbled softly, and Naruto immediately leant down to claim his chapped and bleeding lips in a gentle embrace.

Naruto was shaking worse than ever. He felt torn in half in happiness that Sasuke was free from the demon that was Orochimaru, and yet now it seemed that his freedom had come at a price. He could practically see Sasuke's life leaving his eyes slowly; ebbing away like a tide from the shore.

Sasuke's hand fell to the grassy floor with a soft thud, and Naruto's eyes snapped open as he pulled away with a soft gasp. Sasuke's eyes stared up at him, blank and empty. His lips were still parted in a very small smile, bloodstained corners upturned in the slightest way.

Naruto left out a high pitched whine before catching himself, squeezing his lips together tightly. He buried his face into Sasuke's chest, shoulders heaving.

A gentle brush against his cheek reminded him of the fox standing guard over him, and he looked up with tears streaming down his face.

"...Save him."

The fox cocked its head to the side and regarded the Uchiha with an almost apprehensive look. Naruto growled.

"Save him right now! You can, can't you?" he snapped. The fox huffed, its fur shuffling as it settled down. It gave a short nod but still did nothing.

Losing his patience, Naruto gave it a sinister smile. "Save him, or else I die with him."

The fox stared at him, eyes narrowing into a small glare. Naruto held his head up, haughtily.

"This place is like limbo isn't it? I can let go of everything and move on with Sasuke here! And I will! So unless you want your existence to end along with mine, you will save him right now!" he yelled the end bit, hands tightening in the fabric of Sasuke's shirt. The fox snorted, looking to the side for a moment. Naruto was trembling with grief, rage and hope; the emotions crashing together and mixing to form a new emotion, one that he could not put a name to.

Finally, the fox turned back to him with a low grumble. It stood up, and one of its nine tails dissolved into the air and formed a cloud of red. Naruto gaped, watching as the red substance slithered towards Sasuke's body. It narrowed and entered through his slightly open mouth. When the last little bit had passed his lips, Sasuke's body convulsed once, and his fingers twitched violently before he stilled. Shallow breaths could be heard coming from him as his eyes slipped closed.

Naruto let out a breath of relief and held the Uchiha close to him. He gazed at the fox and smiled.

"Thank you."

The fox yipped softly before turning away, padding through the grass. Before it completely left his sight, he heard a voice on the wind that was neither loud nor soft; it was but a passing breath in his ear.

"_I will return when it is time to wake up...for now, sleep."_

Everything faded to black as Naruto lay down next to Sasuke, entwining their hands and smiling.

* * *

**Do you have any idea how many times I rewrote that ending? :/ I just couldn't get it right, but I feel this one is rather good...I hope. DX**

**...How many of you got worried at the beginning there? :P Didja think I'd killed off a proper character? XD Nah, I couldn't bring myself to do that!**

**AND BEFORE ANYONE SAYS 'HA YOU COULD NEVER KILL THE MAIN CHARACTERS' I'll have you know I've done it before...twice! Oh yeah! You heard me! Mhhm...although, I'm not proud of it. =_=**

**Reviews are greatly appreciated(coughdemandedcough) and I hope you all look forward to the final chapter!  
**


	21. Welcome to ReiSenzai Inc!

**Well everyone...here it is. The last chapter of Rei-Senzai 2: Possession. It's rather mellow and...well it's a final chapter. XD Of course it's going to be mellow and sweet. **

**However...Considering the way I ended it off...I have decided to write bonus chapter that's probably going to be majorly long. There'll be more explanation on this at the end after you've read it. **

**It's come a long way, and I'm so pleased with the response this story got, and I've had fun writing it out and letting this characters grow! I hope you all have enjoyed it just as much if not more!**

**The possibility of a 3rd story, while not very high, is also not completely ruled out. I might end up having an idea for a plot-story but I won't make any promises on it.**

**Also, the Rei-Senzai X-Files will keep going. I'm going to be keeping it in a type of timeline...so as I post more, it'll slowly add on characters and such until we reached where this story ends. After that, I'll probably keep posting with new cases involving everyone including Naruto and Sasuke! So I hope you can all enjoy that!**

**No more stalling! It is time!**

**Warnings: None I can really think of...some SasuNaru hints and fluff but nothing hectic.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and co.  
**

* * *

**Welcome to Rei-Senzai Inc!**

The pale blue walls were dim, the thick curtains having been shut long ago. A small spider was slowly crawling along the folds of the curtain, its little legs slipping every now and then on the smooth material. The critter made its way closer to the bottom when suddenly the curtain arched outwards as a breeze from outside caught the material. The spider trembled on its perch when the cloth flickered before it lost its hold and tumbled down. With an inaudible thud, it landed on a bright orange duvet and struggled to get upright. When it did, it madly scuttled across the orange plain of material until it reached a new area. Confused, the spider cautiously stepped onto the new land with one leg. The new land was quite soft and smooth. And it was quite pink too.

The spider crawled atop the new area and thought it was quite a nice place to settle, so it stayed still and enjoyed the smooth surface.

So happy with its little cushion was the critter, that it didn't see the large hand moving towards it slowly, or the way the fingers curled into a tightly held circle. However, it sensed something was happening and so it turned around in time to be smacked in the face with a giant finger and flung clear across the room where it landed on the floor and stayed still; stunned out of its mind.

"Stupid spider," a sleepy voice mumbled before the fingers were gently wiping at the spot said arachnid had been resting. "Making my teme dirty."

Sasuke hummed in response to the mumble, cracking open an eye and smirking at the set of narrowed blue only inches from his own.

"Someone's got jealousy issues," he teased in a sing song voice and chuckled when the fingers flicked his cheek instead of stroking it. Naruto sniffed haughtily, fingers resuming their stroking while he gazed at Sasuke's face.

"I have every right to be jealous...you almost got taken away from me once," he mumbled and Sasuke smiled before scooting closer under the blankets and wrapping his arms around Naruto.

"It's fine now," he said gently, pressing a kiss to Naruto's forehead. "It's over."

Naruto pouted slightly, huffing in anger and shuffling over so that his back was to Sasuke. He felt the pale boy's silent laughter against his back while Sasuke just pressed closer and held him tighter.

"I'm still pissed that you didn't tell me you had that..._thing_...inside of you!" Naruto grumbled. Sasuke sighed.

"I didn't want to worry you over something that I didn't even know about fully," he defended before frowning. "And you're one to talk! How come I didn't know about your little furry pet until the hospital?" he asked slyly.

Naruto shifted over again. "Hey! I only found out about him the same night all that shit happened so excuse me if I didn't have time to say 'hey Sasuke! I have an ancient demon sealed inside me!'" he said indignantly. Sasuke scoffed and leant over, pulling Naruto into a deep kiss.

"Well whatever. Like I said, it's over now so there's no point in worrying about it anymore," he mumbled once they'd parted and let his eyes slide closed. He felt Naruto stroke his face again.

"You still tired?"

"Hn. The doctors said I'd still feel weak for at least a few more days," Sasuke replied softly and he leaned into the touch Naruto gave his cheek, loving the gentle strokes. He hummed in content, fingers coming up to curl around Naruto's own while he slowly drifted off to sleep.

"Stay," he murmured just before passing out. Naruto cupped his cheek, leaning over to press his lips gently against Sasuke's eyelids, the tip of his nose and finally a little peck to his lips before he snuggled closer and closed his own eyes.

"Always, teme. Always."

It was in this position that Itachi found the two boys three hours later as he snuck into Sasuke's room like the devilishly handsome ninja he secretly was-in his mind anyway. He looked down at their sleeping faces, a smile curving his stoic face at seeing his 'family' looking so content and at peace. He pulled out his phone and snapped a shot, cooing at the cute picture even as his other arm rose up, bringing the megaphone with it.

He was going to enjoy this.

"GOOD MORNING ICHIGO!"

While Sasuke convulsed in place, eyes snapping open and a few high pitched, short screams shooting from his mouth, it was Naruto's reaction that really sent Itachi into a new height of morning-prank hysterics. The blond not only screamed and jumped out of bed, but Itachi clearly heard the him run through the apartment, slam into several doors before finally escaping out the front door and screaming as he ran across the street.

He was doubled over, tears of laughter beading the corner of his eyes while he gasped for breath. Soon, however, Sasuke's murderous roar drowned out the sounds of his amusement.

"ITACHI!"

And then it was Itachi's turn to run through the apartment, slam into doors and enter the street while screaming at the top of his lungs; a murderous, Sharingan wielding, teenage Uchiha right on his tail brandishing an impressive size thirteen shoe.

* * *

Kiba scratched at his cheek, feeling the beginnings of stubble and he wondered if Hinata found him more rugged with a bit of facial hair. His thoughts of Hinata stroking his bearded chin were derailed when something smacked the top of his head and he twisted around to see Shino standing there.

"What the hell?"

"Stop daydreaming. You need to fill out this statement for the police," Shino drawled and dropped the folder he'd used to hit Kiba onto the boy's lap. Kiba groaned, opening it up and looking at the long list of questions he had to answer.

"Why do we have to fill these things out?" he whined even as he reached for the pen Shino offered.

"Because our friend in the police department, Luka-san, has pulled a lot of strings to help get us out of the spotlight. In return, we need to fill these out for him so that he can at least have valid records to associate to the incident."

Kiba grumbled even as he started to fill in his form. "Stupid red-tape."

"Stop grumbling, kid," Sasori ordered as he walked into the room, his own form already filled out. He placed it onto the pile that was completed, which included the forms of Itachi, Kisame, Deidara, Neji, Lee and Sakura. While Kiba scratched out his answers and mumbled profanities under his breath, Hinata and Neji soon walked into the room.

Kiba's nose twitched once as a familiar scent washed over him and he looked up, grinning brightly at seeing his girlfriend.

"Hina-chan!"

Hinata smiled, walking over to him and pointedly ignoring the annoyance radiating off of Neji as the older teen crossed his arms and sat down, his face set in a deep scowl.

"What's wrong with Neji?" Kiba asked softly. "He looks even grumpier than usual."

Hinata giggled softly. "G-Gaara-kun wasn't happy t-to hear about what happened so h-he's giving Neji-nii-san the s-silent treatment for a few d-days," she explained and smiled sadly at her cousin.

Kiba smirked briefly, but the look vanished when Neji shot him a withering glare and he turned back to his form with a low whistle.

"Man, he's in a bad moon."

"Y-yeah."

Ino soon arrived with Shikamaru and Chouji and the first thing she did that morning was give everyone present a hug. She even managed to snag Sasori and Neji. But no one was all too surprised. Since Sasuke and Naruto's recovery, Ino had started this new routine of hugging everyone in the morning.

"Ino, why do you insist on doing this every day?" Kiba asked even as he returned her hug with a pat on her head. Ino smiled while she turned to Hinata, pulling the girl into a big and-in Kiba's opinion- squishy hug.

"Because, Kiba, in this line of work you never know when someone might just vanish," Ino explained softly. Any protests to a hug were soon buried and Ino received her hug from every individual present; Deidara even went for seconds. When she was finished, she smiled.

"I'll make coffee. Who wants?"

"A cup of coffee would be like a page of the newest Icha Icha!" a cheery voice called and everyone turned to look at the doorway.

Kiba grinned while Deidara and Lee cheered happily, and even Sasori and Neji looked a bit happy.

"Kakashi!"

Kakashi stood in the entry way wearing his usual black turtleneck and grey jeans. His mask was set over his face and his hair, though looking a bit limp, still defied gravity and brushed over his eye. He smiled-his eye crinkled- and nodded towards everyone.

"Yo."

Ino ran up to him, wrapping her arms around him in a hug. She made sure to be mindful of the crutches keeping the man standing when she pulled away. Kakashi smiled down at her before he slowly made his way further into the room. Every step he took was accentuated with the soft tap of plastic upon wood as he used his crutches to move forward, swinging himself each time. His right leg was still bandaged heavily, and his left was still weaker than normal but he could sort of rest on it. His arms were covered in patches but they were really only to prevent possible infection while the scratches finished healing.

He ambled over to the couch and fell down, letting out an appreciative groan as his back hit the soft material while the crew members gathered around him.

"How're you feeling?" Kiba asked, wrapping an arm around Hinata's shoulder.

Kakashi let his head rest against the couch. "Still sore and stiff but alive, which is a good thing. It's just annoying how much I'm restricted by these crutches," he huffed, looking at the things angrily.

"Well, they're kind of necessary for your recovery!" Ino said with a drawling seriousness before erupting into giggles. "Besides! You can have lots of fun whacking Itachi over the head with them when he gets back!" she added and Kakashi's face lit up.

"I do like the sound of that," he agreed and the gathered people laughed. So immersed were they in their humour, they didn't hear the sound of footsteps. Shikamaru was the first to notice the person standing in the doorway, and as soon as he recognized them his face curved into a smirk.

"Well, the rest of us should get back to our work. We've got a lot to do. Let our fearless leader relax," he said as he stood. Everyone stared at him in surprise, wondering why the lazy genius was making a suggestion to actually work. In answer to their questioning gazes, Shikamaru cocked his head towards the doorway and smiled.

The others all turned to look and both Ino and Hinata burst into fits of giggles while most of the guys smirked. Kakashi, whose view of the door was blocked by Chouji's body, just looked around in confusion.

"What're you all smirking at? What did I miss?" he asked in confusion. There was a soft laugh from behind the large boy before him and bells went off in Kakashi's head as he recognized the voice.

"You seem the same as the last time we met, Kakashi-san. With perhaps a few more accessories to your appearance, I suppose."

Chouji grinned and moved out of the way, allowing Kakashi's wide eyes to take in the person standing there holding a small paper bag and wearing a soft smile on their tan features. The light scar was a dead giveaway, as well as the chocolate brown eyes.

"I-Iruka-san!"

Iruka's smile widened as he folded his arms over his white jumper clad chest. "Hello Kakashi-san."

"W-what're you doing here?" Kakashi stammered happily. He made to get up, but Iruka quickly waved him down.

"Well I was talking to Naruto over the phone just yesterday," the man began with a small smirk, "and I...happened to ask about you," he admitted. Kakashi was _very_ interested in the light dusting of red Iruka gained on his cheeks. "Naruto told me about the incident. I was horrified to hear about everything that had happened to him and Sasuke...and when he told me about you I just...felt I needed to come and visit, and check for myself that everyone was alright."

Kakashi tilted his head to the side, barely even noticing when the rest of the crew members started to tip-toe out the door like amateur ninjas. "You were worried about m-us?" he amended with a sheepish grin and Iruka laughed as he sat down.

"Yes. I was indeed worried...about you," he said softly. Kakashi scratched his cheek while he mentally refused to acknowledge the blush that stained his face.

"Maa, there was no need really," he said slowly, eyes darting around. "I'm alright..."

Iruka's smile brightened. "I'm glad," he said sincerely and Kakashi chuckled happily.

"...So...how have _you_ been, Iruka-san?"

The brunet grinned again, eyes twinkling. "Please...just call me Iruka."

* * *

The following weeks of recovery were filled with light smiles, easy conversation and lots and lots of paperwork. After four days of filling out claims reports and statements and other so-called necessary forms, one of their members had lost it. Hidan had ended up dragging half the forms into a dustbin, setting them on fire, and then pushing the bin down a hill and watching it roll away with a wide grin on his face.

Kakuzu gained an ulcer after receiving the damage fine from that little escapade, and Hidan's screams of pain were heard throughout the neighbourhood when the stitched man had gotten a hold of him.

The crew had received little job requests over the weeks, and they all relished in the break and enjoyed the non-dangerous tasks they did do; like spring cleaning the office, playing video games and making bets on when Kakashi and Iruka would go on their _third_ date.

Naruto came to the headquarters every day without fail, dragging Sasuke along with him most of the time. It was Wednesday and the two were making their way towards the headquarters after school, hand in hand while Naruto ate an ice-cream he'd bought from a small store on the way. Sasuke was watching him lick the treat with a slight rapture.

"Put the pencil back in the pocket, teme," Naruto warned as he licked some melted ice-cream off his finger. Sasuke scowled, turning away and trying to will down the boner plaguing his lower regions.

"Hn. You don't exactly make it easy, dobe," he grunted and Naruto elbowed him in the side playfully.

"I know I'm hot, but you just have to wait. I'm not interested in a public molestation," he smiled and Sasuke grinned lecherously.

"But in private?"

"I'm all yours," Naruto agreed and Sasuke pumped a fist in the air in victory, earning a laugh from his blond. "Asshole."

"You love me anyway," Sasuke reminded and Naruto's smile widened.

"Yeah, I do."

There was a crash and both of them spun around. Sasuke's Sharingan was whirling in his eyes and Naruto's canines were sharper than before, a low growl coming from his throat.

A trash can several feet away had been overturned, and the boys saw a shaking head of tight red curls. They exchanged looks while Sasuke's eyes faded back to black and Naruto's teeth became blunt again before he straightened.

"Uh...Romi-san?" Naruto called hesitantly. There was a squeak, and the strange girl from their class stepped out from behind the garbage pile. She laughed nervously, running a hand over her shirt.

"H-hi guys...I was just...uh...passing by?" she tried and winced at the unimpressed looks they sent her. "Oh alright fine! I was curious to know where you two went every day after school. I live down the road from here and I've seen you pass by so many times!" she huffed, crossing her arms.

Naruto smiled while Sasuke rolled his eyes. "We're going to work," he said plainly before grabbing Naruto's arm and starting to pull him onwards despite his protest. "And we're going to be late. Goodbye."

"Huh! O-oi wait! Sasuke-kun! Naruto-kun! WAIT!" Romi called after them, but Sasuke was already running and dragging Naruto with him. He'd already vanished from sight by the time Romi had finished her call. Dejected, she let her hand fall to her side and frowned.

"Damn they're sure a slippery pair," she mumbled. "Well no matter! I'll follow them the whole way tomorrow and I won't get caught!" she promised before turning and skipping home while humming the funeral march to herself.

Further down the road and around the corner, the two boys were catching their breath from the short sprint they'd just taken.

"That was a bit mean, Sasuke," Naruto said, peering around the wall to see if Romi was still there.

"Hn. Did you want her to hang around us and find out where we went every day?" Sasuke countered and when Naruto paled he nodded. "That's what I thought."

Arriving at the headquarters, they walked up the stairs together while talking and joking about school and some of the teachers.

"Oh, remember when Mitarashi-sensei's button popped off her jacket? We could see _everything_!" Naruto said as he opened the door and Sasuke shuddered.

"That was disgusting. I'm never going to be able to look her in the eye again," the raven noted and Naruto laughed loudly as he stepped through the doorway. They walked into the living room and were surprised to see everyone in a rush. Kakashi was on the phone while Ino stood nearby, passing him various things he requested. Kiba was helping Shikamaru and Tenten pack up various devices while Hinata and Neji were talking to Deidara and Kisame in a corner, hands making various gestures and mouths moving in sync. The two of them jumped when Shino slid between them with a soft 'Excuse me,' and he vanished into one of the back rooms. Sasori was also on the phone, occasionally calling out to Kakashi for a question before going back to his conversation.

"Whoa, what's happening?" Naruto asked, looking at the commotion. Sasuke spotted Itachi flipping through a map book, eyes scanning each page in quick and efficient motions.

"We got a call from our friend Tobi, un." Naruto jumped a foot in the air when Deidara spoke right behind him.

"Shit, don't do that!" he yelled while the older blond just laughed cheerfully.

"Sorry un. But anyway, Tobi and Pein were up near a hotel near Northern Konoha, and they called us now to tell us they needed help. Apparently the hotel has five poltergeists at once, un!" Deidara said, waving his arms around wildly.

Sasuke looked around the room again, seeing the equipment they were loading and the way Itachi was mapping out the route to the hotel obviously. Five poltergeists at once was a big deal. From what he knew, dealing with one was said to be troublesome enough. He sighed, turning to look at Deidara with a frown.

"Does this mean we'll be leaving for a few days?" he asked sadly and Deidara smiled in understanding.

"Un. Poltergeists are nasty buggers. It'll take us a while to get rid of five of them, un."

Naruto frowned. "How long is 'a while'?" he asked huffily and Deidara gave a small, nervous chuckle, scratching at his ear.

"...Around a week or so, un."

"A whole week?" Naruto gaped before turning and grabbing Sasuke's shoulders. "You're going to be gone for a _whole week_?"

"Ah, Naruto! Glad you decided to drop by today!" Kakashi said, appearing suddenly behind the blond. Once again Naruto jumped three feet in the air, his hair standing on end before he spun around and hit the masked man on the chest.

"DON'T DO THAT DAMMIT!"

Kakashi laughed at his roar, brushing some hair back before he looked down at the two boys.

"Naruto, I was actually hoping you would be able to join us on this mission," he said.

Two pairs of hands appeared next to Kakashi's head before he was grabbed in a double headlock. Both Sasuke and Kiba squeezed relentlessly, eyes narrowed in evil glares as they strangled the man.

"No way is he coming!" they growled in unison.

"Huh? Why not?" Naruto asked indignantly, looking between them with a bit of hurt in his eyes. Kiba looked at him, the glare being replaced with friendly concern.

"Naruto, poltergeists are some of the meanest ghosts around! Their only intentions are to hurt people and they can pull some nasty tricks! Some people have ended up in the hospital in serious condition from one, and we're talking about _five_ of them!" the brunet said while his fist started to thud rhythmically against the top of Kakashi's head. Sasuke nodded in agreement, his own hand moving around to grind against the masked man's cheek.

"Hn. It'll be too dangerous for you to come along, not to mention you'll get scared to easily. Poltergeists are the ghosts that make horrific noises and sneak up on people for the hell of giving them frights and attempting to hurt them. You'll die of a heart attack above all else," he explained in what might have been a sincere tone had it not been for the laughing shine to his eyes.

Naruto growled, glaring at his 'loving' boyfriend before he crossed his arms. "Oh so you don't want me to come to the hotel with you? After all, I imagine that's where you'd be staying, right Kakashi?" he asked slyly, looking down at the man who was slowly but surely turning blue. Kakashi nodded, holding up his thumb to show his agreement before Kiba gave him an extra hard knock on the head.

"Hn. What's your point, dobe?" Sasuke asked while his fingers now began to harshly pull Kakashi's cheek.

Naruto's smirk slid down the evil spectrum a bit more and he chuckled. "Well just think...a nice, fancy hotel with awesome, _private_ rooms and big, soft _beds_...and I'm sure you and I would share a room...I was just thinking of the things we could _do_..."

"Oh my God, you are so not doing what I think you're doing," Kiba groaned, his skin paling slightly. He glanced over at Sasuke, seeing the way the raven had glazed eyes and was unmoving as he got lost in the thoughts Naruto was instilling. "Oh shit you are! C'mon Naruto, think about this like a rational chicken-shit! Why the hell would you _want_ to go to a place with ghosts?" Kiba said indignantly even while Naruto glared at him for the chicken-shit insult.

Naruto frowned. "Those ghosts are hurting innocent people. And they might hurt you guys too! I mean, you're taking on five of them at once! I may not be a member of your group, but you all know that I can help! And I _want_ to help, so why shouldn't I give it my all?" he asked. The other members exchanged looks, some nodding in agreement while others were still a bit unsure.

"Spoken like a true ghost-hunter!" Kakashi beamed, placing his hands on Naruto's shoulders proudly. Kiba and Sasuke blinked, looking down to see their arms were now wrapped around a very murderous looking Sasori. They both yelled out, letting go of the red-head who turned to glare at Kakashi.

"I'll kill you, I swear it!" Sasori growled, but before he could do anything he was swept off his feet. "What the fu-"

"Aw relax Sasori, un!" Deidara chirped happily, holding the fuming red-head in his arms.

"Deidara, I will kill you first!"

"Try counting to ten, un! They say that helps!"

"That's it! I'm going to strangle you! And then I will burn you to ashes!"

"I'll count with you, un! One...Two...Three, un...Four...Five-"

"DIE!"

While Deidara continued to count and Sasori continued to try and escape from his arms, Kakashi turned to speak to Naruto.

"Naruto, I believe you will be a great help in this mission. A poltergeist is able to sense a stronger supernatural force...and I think you could easily intimidate them enough to make it easier for us to dispose of them for good," he said softly. Naruto looked up at him, one hand coming to gently press against his stomach where his seal was located. Sasuke wrapped his arms around him, his own hand coming to rest atop Naruto's.

"I'm willing to help," Naruto repeated and Sasuke sighed.

"Dobe...I guess I'll just have to stay by your side the entire time," he murmured with a smirk.

Naruto grinned, pulling out of his arms to hold up a fist.

"Right! Let's go hunt these pesky bastards!" he declared loudly and the others smiled and cheered.

"Hn. Dobe," Sasuke smirked, pressing a kiss to Naruto's cheek as he stood next to him.

Kakashi smiled while the others gathered around. "Well I guess it's only fair to say...Welcome to Rei-Senzai Inc. Naruto!"

**End.**

* * *

***Sob sob sob* It's over...Well the main story anyway! :P I still have the bonus chapter to do and then I can play with the X-Files!  
**

**Oh right, explanation on the bonus chapter...Well, basically I thought 'Why don't I add an extra chapter which shows them taking care of the poltergeists? That way we can all finish off this story with a fun, exciting, true ghost story finish that shows how badass-or not-the characters have or haven't become! Do you guys think this is a good idea, or should I forget about the bonus chapter? :/**

**Anyway, a HUGE thanks to everyone who reviewed, alerted and faved this story. You're all awesome, and I'm so glad to have had you along with this little ride! I'm sorry I could'nt answer all your reviews individually but know that I have read them, adored them, and cherished each and every one of you for leaving them! Thank you all so much! *smothers readers in love***

**Well...I guess I'll see you all in other stories (hopefully) and once again...thanks for being with me throughout this tale!**

**Rei-Senzai Inc: Possession...End!**


	22. Bonus Chapter Part 1: Hotel of Horrors

***walks in nervously, wringing hands* Er...Well...Hi everyone! ^_^ ...Uhm...yeah, it's been...forever...since this story was updated. A-and technically, that's not too bad since the actual story is already finished and up...b-but I did promise a bonus chapter...**

***lip trembles* I..I'M SORRY FOR THE LONG WAIT! T_T Please, forgive this authoress? And, and, to make it up to you...the bonus chapter is being extended into two parts! :D Yep yep, here's part 1! And I'm motivated to work on part 2 soon! So that means-**

**Kaoru: DO NOT PROMISE THEM IT WILL BE OUT SOON! *points accusingly* EVERY TIME you do that, it ends up being late! B/**

**O-okay...uhm...yeah, so there will be another part that I'm working hard on! ^^;**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy the first half of the Doube-Bonus chapters! ^_^ ...If...if you can't remember what exactly these are supposed to consist of, just read the last parts of the previous chapter. ._.**

**Enjoy!**

**Warnings: Language, ghosts, blood and violence, mild yaoi.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters...but the world of Rei-Senzai is all mine! :3 (well, most of it...some things aren't)**

* * *

A thundercloud rumbled overhead, the brief flashes of heavenly lightening making the dark grey look ashy for the briefest seconds, as if the cloud were going to start raining ashes rather raindrops. But this was disproven when, seconds later, a fat droplet of water splashed on the asphalt road running through the ground. Soon, more raindrops were pattering down on the ground, forming puddles and mud along the fields and chasing small animals into their burrows ahead of the night.

A small fox was rushing through the underbrush, heading back to its den. It came to the road and started to rush across. Halfway through its journey, a noise caught its attention, and it peered around. Its ears flattened against its head as it saw four bright lights heading straight for it. Yipping in fright, it scrambled across the road and raced away as the two white vans sped past.

Kakashi looked up at the sky through the windshield, frowning at the weather. The storm had been unexpected, but then again if he had bothered to listen to the news before they left he probably would've known what to expect.

"How much father until we arrive?" he asked, briefly glancing at Itachi in the passenger side. The Uchiha sniffed, straightening his map on his lap as he located where they were. Tracing the route with his finger, he tapped at a spot and looked up.

"There's a dirt road turning up ahead, leading to the hotel. We should reach it in the next ten minutes," he said and Kakashi nodded, keeping his eyes peeled for the turning.

"Hey, move your foot!"

"You move your ass! My foot fell asleep, I need to stretch it!"

Itachi rolled his eyes and turned to look into the back of the van, where they had cramped five unfortunate victims like sardines. "Kiba, remove your foot, and Naruto, remove your voice box for the time being," he said, smirking at the glowering looks he received.

Naruto pouted angrily while Kiba sighed and put his foot back onto the floor. They barely had any space to breath. On Naruto's right was Sasuke, pressed against the window which he was currently gazing out of. Beside Kiba was Hinata, asleep on Neji's shoulder, who was against the other window. He had a book in his hand, but since he didn't want to disturb the slumbering girl on his shoulder by moving his arm to turn a page, he had activated his Byakugan and was simply focusing harder to peer through the paper at the next page.

Kakashi saw the turning and indicated, letting the rest of the crew behind them know to follow. He turned, the van jerking a bit at the uneven terrain. Kiba and Naruto accidentally knocked heads, hissing in pain and glaring at each other. Sasuke snorted under his breath, calling them both idiots in a soft whisper while Neji glared at all three of them to be quiet.

"We're here," Kakashi announced as they drove through a grove of thick trees.

Naruto pressed up against Sasuke to see out the window and frowned uneasily. "That's a creepy looking hotel," he mumbled. Sasuke stared up at the triple large, double story mansion and raised an eyebrow.

"Dobe, it kind of looks like the orphanage," he noted. Naruto's eyes widened briefly before he nodded.

"Yeah it does actually! Man, that's even spookier!" he whined and Sasuke chuckled, petting his head.

"Hn. You wanted to tag along. Now don't back out," he teased and Naruto growled.

"I wasn't going to! I was simply giving my professional input!" he snapped, crossing his arms. Sasuke smirked in response to the excuse while Kiba rolled his eyes with great emphasis behind the blond.

"Come on guys, there's no time to bicker. We're going to check in, meet up with Pein and the Manager, and then we're getting to work!" Kakashi called, as he stepped out of the van. Rain began to soak him immediately and he cursed, looking up at the sky. "We'll have to unload the equipment when this clears up," he muttered.

Everyone climbed out, Hinata rubbing the sleep away from her eyes as she did so and they scurried towards the hotel to escape the rain. The second van pulled into a space beside theirs, and the rest of the team hurried to get out as well, grabbing their bags and sprinting towards the mansion.

The wooden steps of the long front porch creaked under their feet as they stood under the awning, and Naruto looked down thoughtfully. He took a step to the right, hearing a creak, and then took a step to the left. The result was the same.

"How old is this place anyway?" he asked, bouncing in place a bit and listening to the chorus of creaking.

"It looks like it might be at least fifty years old," Sasuke said nonchalantly, also observing the structure. There was nothing particularly special about the place. It looked like a Victorian styled mansion that someone had obviously opened as a hotel. Wooden beams supported the awning, and there were carvings etched into a wooden plaque above the door. It looked like a rose with two vines leading outwards.

"I guess that's for the whole 'Rosy Vine Hotel' thing," Kiba mumbled, looking at the carving. Sasuke rolled his eyes in a 'no-shit-Sherlock' gesture as the rest of the team joined them.

Sakura walked up to one of the beams, her eyes roving over the surface. She tilted her head and reached out a finger to prod curiously at a small black bump. She gasped when it squirmed under her touch and pulled her finger away. She sighed in relief in seeing it was only a little slug.

"That made me jump," she whispered to herself, turning and hoping no one had seen. She caught Naruto staring in her direction and blushed, knowing he had just witnessed everything, but the blond only gave a small smile and shrugged. Sakura smiled back, understanding that he was simply saying 'what can you do eh?'

"It's cold," Sasori grumbled as he stood on the porch. "Can we get inside now?"

Kakashi nodded, motioning for everyone to follow. "Come on guys, we can explore later. Let's check in and get started," he instructed and they all filed through the doors and into the lobby.

Two staircases branched out on either side, leading to the upper level while large arches led into the next parts of the ground floor. A large oak desk was situated directly across from the door, and an aging man was behind it, reading through a newspaper. He looked up as they entered, his eyes raking over the large group and widening. He lowered the paper and stood.

"Hello there... Are you here to stay for the night?" he asked, pulling out the register book. Kakashi smiled behind his mask, walking up to the man.

"Actually, we'll be staying here for quite a while. Could you book us in for a week?" he said politely and the man visibly stumbled in surprise.

"A whole week?" he asked, and Kakashi nodded. Gaining a look of polite surprise the man just nodded and wrote it down before sliding the book over to Kakashi. "Please just sign there. Would you like to pay in advance?" he asked and Kakashi nodded.

"Actually, before I pay, there are two other guests here that are my associates... I was wondering if they are here? Would it be possible to check?" he asked as he reached for his wallet.

"Of course. What would their names be?"

While Kakashi was talking with the clerk, the rest of the team was looking around curiously and cautiously.

"How can you tell if a poltergeist is nearby?" Naruto asked softly. Sasuke frowned, thinking.

"Poltergeists are some of the strongest, violent spirits known to us," Neji said, walking up to them. "They hold a great amount of spiritual energy, which allows them to move heavy objects. Due to this, one can usually sense their presence, even if you are not trained to do so. It is where non-psychic people discovered the terms cold-spots and sixth senses. If a poltergeist is nearby, the temperature will usually drop and often you will be able to notice something odd. A misty patch in a room, the air is shimmering, or strange sensations of being tugged or pushed. If you happen to feel the last one, be careful, it usually means the poltergeist is about to throw you somewhere."

Naruto paled slightly, wringing his hands together. "What should you do in that situation?" he asked, and Sasuke put an arm around his waist for comfort. Mentally he was sighing. He had known Naruto was going to get scared. It was just one thing about the blond that never changed: his fear of ghosts.

Lee joined them, catching the end of the conversation and offering a smile. "If that should happen, Naruto-kun, you simply fight against the force of the spirit with all your youthful might!" he clenched his fist, looking into the distance. When no one commented, he smiled again and rubbed his head. "But, if that is not appealing, you can try to grab onto something nearby to stop yourself from being tossed around," he continued and Naruto nodded.

"What are you guys gossiping about over here?" Ino asked, sidling up to them with Sakura.

"We're just talking about how to fend off a poltergeist," Neji stated and they 'ooh'ed and 'aah'ed in understanding before sidling even closer.

"And how do you do that?" Ino asked, blinking innocently.

Neji sighed and began to explain again what they were and how to detect them. The girls listened with rapt interest, but now Naruto's attention was already moving on. He looked around the lobby, taking in the old paintings and the elegantly carved wooden furniture. It did remind him of how the orphanage used to look when they first moved in, back before they'd changed the rooms to suit them.

He crossed his arms over his chest and walked away from the group, approaching a large chest of drawers that held several ornaments and a photograph of who he assumed to be the owner and their family. He bent down to get a closer look when something hit the back of his head.

Flinching and grabbing his head out of reflex, he turned and looked up. At the top of the stairs, hiding behind one of the wooden railings was a small boy that looked no older that six or seven. He had sandy brown hair and big brown eyes.

Naruto stared up at him, and the kid stared back down. When the staring match continued on with no end in sight, Naruto quirked a brow in question. The kid blinked before suddenly turning and rushing back up the stairs. Naruto watched him go, confused by the strange behaviour. He shrugged it off, listing it as a child's game and turned to look at what the kid had thrown at him. Bending he saw it was a marble the size of his thumbnail, with a glass surrounding and a small purple centre.

'_Maybe he collects them?_' he thought, looking back to the top of the stairs.

"Naruto!"

He turned, seeing that the rest of the group was already gathering their things and preparing to head to their rooms. He sent one last look over to the top of the stairs before jogging over to join them, slipping the marble into his pocket.

Everyone grabbed their bags and began to follow Kakashi and the receptionist as he led them to their rooms. Naruto hefted his bag onto his shoulder, looking at the old paintings along the walls and the velvet red carpet along the wooden floor. The floorboards creaked under their feet, and the musty smell of aged wood and old house filled their noses. Naruto took a deep breath, the musky smell of the house reminding him of the old orphanage, and he let his eyes close briefly as he remembered all the times back then. He still remembered all the pranks he used to pull, especially on Iruka and the twins. He loved pranking the twins because he knew they would always retaliate and it gave him a reason to stay on his toes for weeks.

Suddenly his entire body felt warm and in the recesses of his mind he heard a growl. He jolted to a stop, his eyes snapping open. The rest of the group was already quite far ahead, and he realized he'd been lagging behind as he got lost down memory lane. The warmth in his body spread and he felt his hair standing on end.

'_What the hell?_' he though, looking at his trembling hand. '_This feels like...Kyuubi?_' he wondered.

There was a strange tugging sensation on his foot and his eyes widened.

"Sasu—"

He was cut off when his feet were pulled out from under him and he slammed ungracefully onto the floor. His nose and cheek stung from the harsh impact, and his chest also ached from getting a brunt blow.

"Naruto!"

Sasuke hurried back to him, crouching down and pulling him up. "What the hell happened? Be more careful, dobe!" he reprimanded.

Naruto looked up, seeing all eyes on him. He spotted the receptionist looking at him in concern and quickly cracked a grin. "Ah, my bad! My foot got caught! Sorry if I scared anyone!" he said, pushing himself up and rubbing the back of his neck. There were relieved sighs and a few rolled their eyes before turning away.

Sasuke sighed, brushing the front of Naruto's shirt off and starting to tug him after the others. "You're so clumsy," he mumbled. Naruto stopped instantly, jerking him back. "What—"

"I didn't trip Sasuke," Naruto said seriously. "My foot was dragged out from under me."

Sasuke opened his mouth to question his sanity when it hit him and he ended up gaping like a fish. "...You mean—"

"Teme, I just got Poltergeisted," Naruto confirmed with a nod.

* * *

Their rooms were quaint and comfortable. All the girls were sharing one room, much to Kiba's dismay. Of course, he didn't let anyone hear his upset mumbles, especially Neji. Lord only knows what the Hyuuga boy would do to him if he heard he wanted to room with Hinata.

Kakashi was roomed with Itachi, Kisame and Neji. Sasori and Deidara, along with Lee, were in another room. Chouji, Shikamaru and Shino were sharing, which left Sasuke and Naruto a room to themselves. Everyone had been quite worried at Sasuke's smirk, especially since he graciously thanked the old man who had shown them their rooms.

"I don't know who to feel sorrier for," Ino mumbled, "Naruto, or Shikamaru and the others, since they're rooming next to them."

Shikamaru groaned, having overheard. "I doubt Naruto will be a victim...I need earplugs," he grumbled, sending a dark look over to Sasuke who just grinned smugly.

"Alright everyone, unpack, freshen up and then we'll meet downstairs in the lounge. You need to be there in the next two hours, no later!" Kakashi said, clapping his hands. There were nods and sounds of acknowledgement before everyone branched off into their rooms.

As soon as the door closed behind them, Sasuke turned to Naruto. "What did you feel?" he asked, tossing his bags onto the big double bed. He would have to thank Kakashi for making sure they got this room.

"Well, I was just walking and thinking about how much this place reminds me of the old orphanage," Naruto began, putting his bag down and zipping it open to start pulling out the contents. "And suddenly I felt really warm. Hot even. It was like a fire had lit up somewhere inside me and the warmth spread out. And in the back of my head," his hands paused in pulling out a shirt, "...I heard Kyuubi growling."

Sasuke's head snapped to him immediately, alert and attentive. His eyes bled into the crimson red of the Sharingan as he studied Naruto's figure. He could see the fiery red-orange of the blond's spiritual energy in his body, and a few tendrils leaking out but that was just natural emission. He focused on Naruto's stomach, where the swirling seal was visible to his psychic eyes. It was black in his vision, clearly seen against the bright burning colour swirling in the blond. He deactivated his eyes.

"Well, Kyuubi's not active anymore...it must have been a reflex," he theorized, turning back to his bag and pulling out the stashed items. "More than likely, Kyuubi will automatically sense another malevolent presence and warn you in the form of heat and growling. That means that, out of everyone, you will always be the first to sense when a poltergeist is nearby," he added, turning to Naruto who was watching him carefully.

"So, Kyuubi can sense them, and so I can too?" he summarized and Sasuke nodded. "Well...I guess that's a good thing? I mean, if I'm with everyone else, I can warn them before something bad happens, right?" he shrugged, tossing another shirt into the dresser.

Sasuke hummed in thought, making his way around the bed and leaning against Naruto, chin resting on his shoulder. "I guess that makes you our little blond alarm system," he mumbled, and smirked when Naruto growled at him.

"I am not an alarm system, Teme."

"Of course you're not," Sasuke humoured him and laughed when Naruto swatted him away. He pushed the blond back onto the bed, smiling down at him. Naruto just pouted, still annoyed at his teasing. Sasuke leant down, nibbling on his lip before pulling him into a kiss. Naruto stubbornly refused him, still irritated at the alarm comment, but Sasuke was nothing if not persistent. Soon he had 'convinced' his blond boyfriend to partake in their kiss, and he was already trailing his hand down over Naruto's chest, wondering what his chances of some groping were.

The door opening swiftly was his answer.

"Oops," Kiba said, sounding far from apologetic at having interrupted them. Instead he was grinning. "Are you guys ready to head down? I figure the sooner we meet up the better!"

Sasuke glared at him over his shoulder, but Kiba just smiled in return, too amused to bother tucking his tail between his legs at the look. Naruto rolled his eyes, shoving Sasuke off of him and straightening his shirt.

"Yeah, I guess we're ready," he said, looking at his bag that had yet to be fully unpacked. "We can do this later."

"We'll be working later!" Sasuke argued as he picked up a pillow from their bed. He walked towards the door, still talking. "Most likely we're going to start things right from the moment the meeting ends, so that's why we should unpack and relax now!"

Arriving at the door, Sasuke wasted no time in swinging the pillow around, slamming it violently against Kiba's face. The brunet let out a muffled 'oomph' of surprise, hands splaying out as Sasuke attacked again.

"Sasuke, stop pummelling Kiba with a pillow," Naruto said nonchalantly even as he moved to his bag. "And if that's the case then start unpacking and let's head down once we're done."

"But—"

"No buts," Naruto cut off with a stern look before it morphed into a smile when Sasuke sent him a frustrated puppy look. "We'll be here for a while, so we'll have plenty of time later on," he assured.

Sasuke sighed, letting his pillow thump against his thigh while he nodded. "Alright fine," he conceded and Naruto beamed at him.

Kiba rubbed his nose, looking between them before he snorted and turned to Sasuke. "Naruto's got your balls tightly locked away in his frilly man-purse I see," he said, grinning like an idiot as he leant one arm on the doorframe, staring at Sasuke.

The Uchiha glared at him, but before he could say any scathing remarks Naruto walked up to them with a smile.

"Kiba?"

"Yes?"

Sasuke couldn't help the snort that burst from him as Kiba doubled over, coughing while Naruto stepped back and rubbed his knuckles, a blank look on his face.

"Don't insult my man-purse," he said and Sasuke rolled his eyes, smirking as he wrapped an arm around Naruto's shoulders and led him away from the boy on the ground. Kiba gasped for breath, holding up a fist to show he understood before going back to trying to breathe normally.

They unpacked quickly with Kiba standing in the doorway, chatting away and dodging various attacks aimed at him when he continued to tease them. When the last t-shirt had been tucked away in the drawer, and Kiba was now blaming them for his future lack of future children, the three of them left the room and made their way downstairs.

"Seriously! Sasuke, it's thanks to you that I will never have the joy of seeing little mini-Kiba's and mini-Hinata's running around! How could you!" Kiba continued to rant while Sasuke rolled his eyes. Naruto laughed, shaking his head at the brunet's exaggerated behaviour.

A sudden warmth flushed through him and he stopped, eyes widening. A distant rumble echoed in the back of his mind, and he realized that it was Kyuubi growling.

'_Where is it? Where is it Kyuubi?_' he wondered, eyes roaming over the area. A sudden bout of soft, barely-there whispers erupted into his mind, and with a shudder he realized that this was the only way Kyuubi could speak.

_To the right. To the right. It's there, over there, to the right, the right…_

He shivered, not liking how creepy that bodiless, somehow soundless voice was as it echoed in his head. He couldn't tell if it was man or woman, child or adult. It was such an indistinguishable sound; he couldn't understand how he _understood_ it at all.

But pushing that aside, he looked to the right. It was another hallway that obviously held more rooms along the sides. He stared down the narrow, dimly lit hall. It looked the same as the others, with pictures hanging along the walls and the same old carpet running along the wooden floor. Dull lights hung from the roof, offering some light as there was no window in this hall. He tried to see where the disturbance was, where whatever had made Kyuubi growl was lurking. He owed the fact that he hadn't already started wetting himself in fear to the warmth still flooding through his veins, caused by the powerful demon he housed inside of him. The thought was still overwhelming.

_Hunt it, hunt it down. It's watching us, it wants to hurt us, and it's plotting against us. Hunt it down, destroy it now._

He reached a hand up, pressing against his stomach right over where the strange seal would be. As soon as his hand made contact, he felt the swirl appear, and his vision became as sharp as a razor blade, every detail of the hall becoming defined and magnified. He saw the dust particles floating in the air, and the cracks in the floor. He watched as an ant traversed its way up the wall to the windowsill before vanishing through a miniscule crack in the glass.

And then he saw it.

A blurry white figure, no real shape to it, was hovering at the end of the wall. It looked like a cloud of steam, condensed together. Digging into his knowledge of the spiritual world that he had attained over the time of being with Sasuke and the rest of the Rei-Senzai crew, he guessed that he was seeing the poltergeists spiritual energy. It was compacted together, but obviously invisible to the naked eye.

"Oh shit," he breathed, finally registering exactly what it was he was seeing. A ghost. A poltergeist. A shapeless mass of deadly spiritual energy hell-bent on hurting anyone and everyone, and he was looking right at it.

The warmth vanished as the fear finally nudged its way in, poking at his brain and reminding him what a tremendous chicken shit he actually was when faced with the supernatural.

"Sa…" he turned his head to the side and his voice died in his throat when he saw that Sasuke and Kiba had already walked on ahead, leaving him behind. They must not have noticed he had stopped.

He was alone in the hallway. Alone, aside from a deadly, dead ghost.

'_Shit.'_

His head turned again and he gasped, jumping back when he saw that the poltergeist was coming towards him. The lights started to flicker, and he saw one picture swing violently before clattering to the floor. The air around him grew colder and he stepped back again, only to yelp slightly as his back met the wall.

'_What do I do? What do I do? I don't know what the hell I'm supposed to do!_' he thought frantically, realising that he knew no chants or prayers or ways to get rid of the thing before him. And it seemed that Kyuubi wasn't keen on helping him, since he couldn't hear any growling or feel any warmth. What the hell was he supposed to do now? Scream? His voice seemed to get stuck in his throat.

'_Oooooh, I am so dead!_'

His mouth opened in a frightened gape as the spirit stopped right in front of him, and it was then he realized that his eyes had gone back to normal. But he could still see the spirit, which meant it was revealing itself.

He was in serious shit.

Suddenly he felt the same kind of tugging sensation from before, and automatically his hands sprung to the sides, scrabbling against the wall for some kind of hold. He felt his legs lift up and let out a pained grunt when his body was folded almost in two, his ankles coming up near his ears. He sent a small prayer of gratitude for being at least somewhat flexible, but if that pressure kept up he was certain his spine would snap.

"Grr!" he groaned, trying to fight back against the invisible hold. He could hear Kyuubi growling now, but it was faint. Perhaps his fear was blocking the way? He didn't know why he couldn't do anything, but he could definitely feel something in his back starting to strain dangerously. Panic was flaring up in his heart, and he heard Kyuubi's growling get louder.

"Naruto-kun!"

There was a bang, like a gunshot going off, and Naruto let out a loud gasp as the pressure vanished and he fell to the floor, landing awkwardly with his neck twisting painfully while his legs thumped to the floor. His eyes had been closed during the ordeal, but when he opened them he had to shut them quickly due to the bright light he could see. Soon it faded, and he blinked repeatedly to clear the spots in his vision before someone appeared before him.

"Are you alright? I hope I got here in time!"

He looked up at Lee, who was kneeling down to yank him into a more comfortable position. Coughing slightly, he rubbed the back of his neck with a soft moan. He was going to be sore for a while after being twisted like that. And his legs felt very weak.

"Thanks Lee," he groaned, trying to straighten his neck. It hurt like hell, and he grimaced at the pain. Lee was looking concerned, but satisfied that he was at least alive.

"It was lucky that I took the extra time to fold up my clothes neatly, as I was late in coming downstairs and found you. Where is Sasuke?"

"He went on," Naruto sighed, waving his hand. "I thought I saw something in the hall so I stopped, but he didn't notice so he kept going."

"Oh, I see. Well, no doubt he is worried by now," Lee said, helping him to his feet. Naruto let out a groan again when his legs still felt weak, but Lee easily calculated the extra weight in and adjusted his hold, helping Naruto to walk towards the stairs.

"What happened to the ghost?" Naruto asked, frowning uneasily as they reached the stairs and started to descend.

"Sadly, it is not gone for good. I only had enough time to say a quick banishing chant before it snapped your spine or neck. It will be back, but not for a while," Lee explained as they finally reached the ground floor. He helped Naruto to hobble across the floor until they reached the large lounge where everyone else was waiting. Immediately, Naruto's eyes found Sasuke walking around the area, a frustrated look on his face as he undoubtedly tried to find him.

Hinata was sitting on a couch with Kiba and Shino, while Neji was standing right behind it with Tenten, Sakura and Ino. Kakashi and Itachi were seated too, along with all the other older members and two people that Naruto had never seen before. One had messy ginger hair and strange, purple eyes that looked very bloodshot. Then there was a man with short, spiky black hair. But the biggest problem was the orange swirl mask on his face, hiding it from sight.

Naruto winced as Lee took a step he wasn't expecting, and his weak legs stumbled to keep himself up. The soft noise caught the ears of only one person in the room, and Kiba turned his head to the doorway only to jump to his feet.

"What the hell happened to him_?_!" he yelled, pointing at Naruto. Sasuke's head snapped around, as did everyone else's, but he didn't waste a second in vaulting over the couch and running to extract the tired blond from Lee's arm.

"He was attacked by a poltergeist in the hallway upstairs," Lee said, not arguing with handing over Naruto. "I managed to banish it before it could fatally harm him, but undoubtedly he's going to be sore for a while after being bent like that."

"Being bent like what? Bent? What the hell?" Sasuke demanded, using one hand to cup Naruto's cheek while the other steadied him. Naruto sighed tiredly, shaking his head.

"I'll explain it all properly, but for now can I please sit down?"

Sasuke stared at him for a moment longer before giving a reluctant nod and helping him to sit comfortably. Hinata scooted over to make room for the two of them, and Sasuke let Naruto rest his head on his chest, one arm wrapped around his shoulder in comfort. Naruto's neck still hurt like hell, but at least he could feel his legs getting back to their usual strength. And his back didn't ache as much either.

Kakashi cleared his throat, eyeing him in concern. "Naruto, could you tell us what happened?"

Naruto sighed, letting his eyes close for a moment. Then he explained what had happened in the hallway, although he left out the part of Kyuubi. He didn't know who in the group knew aside from Kakashi, Sasuke and Itachi, but he didn't want to risk anything by blurting it out. Although, he did see the shared glance between Kisame and Itachi, and figured that if anyone else knew, it would be Kisame.

"But wait, how did you know there was something in the hall?" Ino asked, tilting her head.

Kiba spoke up. "ESPFCS," he stated firmly, nodding. When the others sent him a questioning look, he grinned and clarified. "Extra Sensory Perception For Chicken Shits."

Hinata's hand, Naruto's foot and Sasuke's elbow all collided with him at once, knocking him from side to side on the couch before he steadied himself and whined.

"Abuse! Kakashi, there is abuse amongst your employees!"

"You're right," Kakashi said nonchalantly. "I'll have to give Sasuke, Hinata and Naruto a raise."

"Asshole!"

"If you're quite finished," the ginger-haired man spoke up, looking annoyed. He turned to Kakashi, casually leaning against the couch and resting his cheek on his fist. "I believe we can start the meeting now. It's been confirmed, already, that there are poltergeists in this hotel."

"Yes, of course. Oh, and for anyone that doesn't know, this is Yahiko, and his partner Tobi. They are also a part of our group, though they work abroad."

The two new faces nodded to the rest, and those that didn't know them nodded back.

Kakashi smiled. "Alright. There's no time to waste, so I'll explain our strategy, shall I?"

* * *

Night fell like a silky blanket over the Earth, enshrouding the sky with darkness and dimming the land's vibrant colours until it was hard to tell the green and brown from grey and black.

The hotel looked even spookier at night, and the dim lighting did little to change this fact.

Kiba shivered and pulled his jacket tighter around himself, looking from side to side.

"Why am I always sent outdoors?" he wondered aloud.

"Hn. Because that's where most animals belong."

Kiba turned his head to glower angrily at the raven haired teen behind him. It was just his luck to get stuck with Sasuke on the first night. As much as he'd wanted to go with Hinata, she had been partnered up with Sakura while Ino went with Tenten. And to make matters worse, Sasuke was grumpy because Naruto was skipping this night. Kakashi didn't think it was a good idea to have him moving about after his incident. Naruto had insisted he was fine, but it only took Kisame's sneaky finger jabbing a spot on the blond's neck to make him crumple to the floor in pain because his strained muscles were extra sensitive.

Needless to say, Naruto was in his room with Lee keeping him company, and Sasuke was outside with Kiba, grumpy as a donkey denied food.

Kiba swore he would get revenge on Kakashi one day, somehow.

"Does it physically hurt to be nice?" he asked the Uchiha in all seriousness. Sasuke glared at him and Kiba narrowed his eyes in response.

"Apparently yes," he mumbled, trudging down the steps of the hotel porch and scanning the area once more. It was extremely dark out tonight, since the moon was hidden behind the clouds that lingered in the sky from the day. Kiba clicked on his torch and swept it over the ground, seeing the gravel and sand and grass. He could hear Sasuke behind him, mumbling obscenities under his breath. The Uchiha was particularly sour when it came to the subject of their boss, and Kiba decided to erase some of the insults he heard from his memory lest his head later explode after fully understanding what the Uchiha was suggesting.

A chilly breeze was constant during this night, and the two boys shivered as they began their walk around the hotel. Each of them was equipped with a protection seal that Lee had made, along with Sasori, and they could use it in an emergency. Kakashi didn't think that the poltergeists would be as active during the night, mainly because there was less movement. Poltergeists liked to attack when there was lots of activity; it made for a greater chance at chaos that way. At night, all the guests were asleep and the area was calm and serene, meaning that the poltergeists had less to target.

Sasuke scowled darkly as he swept his torch up the trunk of a tree, seeing nothing worth noting other than the nest of termites at the base. The hotel should be weary of that, was all he thought before moving onto the next piece of greenery and grumpily scanning it.

He knew that letting Naruto sit out was the best option for the blond, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to sulk. After all, why did Lee of all people get to stay with him? Why couldn't he stay with him instead? Lord knows that he would take great care of Naruto…

A smirk curved his lips. '_Oh yes…very good care…massaging his sore neck…and then any other sore places he may have….relieving some pressure in certain areas….touching special spots to help him relax…'_

Kiba's ears perked up at a strange sound and he whipped around, hand already reaching for the seal. His shoulders slumped dramatically when his torch only landed on a creepily grinning Uchiha who was staring at a bush and chuckling perversely under his breath.

'_I don't care what Sakura or anyone else says….Uchiha's are psychos, weirdos and all around freaks,_' he thought, backing away when Sasuke's subconscious laughing increased in perverted volume.

"Sasuke!"

The raven turned to him, all expressions of dirty thoughts and other emotion completely wiped from his face. Kiba's eyebrow twitched.

"Hn?"

"Stop thinking dirty thoughts and laughing like pedo-bear. We've got a job to do," Kiba reminded, heading further into the garden. Sasuke glared at his back but soon followed after him. He decided that the sooner he and Kiba finished inspecting the garden, the sooner he could get back inside and tend to Naruto.

They had already cleared one side of the hotel, and were just reaching the back garden area, when they heard something that was not a part of the nightly orchestra.

"Do you hear that?" Kiba mumbled, his ears perking as the sound drifted into their ears. Sasuke nodded slowly and concentrated on his eyes for a second. The red of the Sharingan whirled to life, and he scanned the garden in search of any foreign energy.

"Over there, by that oak tree!" he whispered, pointing in the direction. There was a small hollow in the tree, big enough for a medium sized dog to get into. The sound was coming from there. It was a strange whistling sound that got louder and then softer before repeating the cycle. There was no specific tune to it, but it sent a chill up the Uchiha's back as he deactivated his eyes and crept towards the spot with Kiba.

Kiba sniffed the air cautiously, checking for any dangerous smells that could warn him. There was nothing but the scent of rain, earth and the air of night. Swallowing softly, he glanced back at Sasuke. They shared a nod of understanding before counting to three and, in unison, jumping forwards and shining their flashlights into the hollow.

A walkie-talkie was lying on the floor, the little red light flashing as the sound, now identified as a type of static, continued to fizzle through the speaker.

Kiba sighed dramatically while Sasuke knelt down and grabbed the object.

"Geez, just a walkie-talkie? Who the hell left it out here anyway?" the brunet groaned, stretching his arms above his head.

Sasuke examined the item curiously. It didn't look very old and there were finger marks on the handle. Obviously it had been used that day. He guessed that someone in the hotel, perhaps a child guest, had been playing outside earlier and forgot it here. He swept the flashlight over the small hollow.

'_This place would make a good hiding place for a kid's game, or a little secret den,_' he speculated. A flashing memory of him as a young child, hiding in a similar hollow in a tree at the park while Itachi searched for him, calling his name in frustration, assaulted him and he smiled. Those had been good times, even if Itachi scolded him afterwards because he'd been worried.

"Turn that thing off would you? The noise is giving me a headache," Kiba said, sticking a finger in his ear. Sasuke turned it over, looking for the off button. He located it, and was about to press it down when the static sound changed. There was a hiss, and a breathy voice speaking so fast and so low that no words were discernable. The two teens exchanged looks, confused.

Suddenly a blood chilling scream emitted from the device making Sasuke drop it with a startled yell while Kiba jumped a foot in the air, his flashlight slicing over the area like a disco light.

The screaming continued, and Sasuke's eyes were beginning to bulge at how…terrified…it sounded.

"Sasuke! Sasuke, it's coming from the hotel!" Kiba said, his head looking back towards the building. Sasuke turned, straining his ears, and indeed he could hear a distant echo of the scream coming from the building. Lights were being turned on as guests and employees woke up.

"Let's go!" Sasuke said, snatching up the device and starting to run back to the hotel entrance. Kiba was right on his heels. They rushed through the front door, bumping into Neji and Shino.

"What the hell is going on?" Kiba asked as the four of them ran into the lobby. The screaming was louder here, so Sasuke shut off the walkie-talkie. They could hear rushed footsteps above, and Neji led the way to the stairs.

"I don't know. We were in the kitchens when suddenly the screaming started!" Shino huffed as they raced up the steps. Neji had his Byakugan activated, leading the way. He could see, in the distance, some of the other teams also racing towards the sounds. They passed by several open doors with frightened looking guests staring out, faces pale and worried.

"This way!" Neji said, turning down a hall.

They reached the room that the screaming was coming from at the same time as Deidara and Sasori, who had come from the other direction. They were followed by the old man who had checked them in earlier that day.

"What is going on?" the old man asked, wringing his hands together. The screaming was still going on, though the voice was becoming hoarse.

"That's what we're going to find out!" Sasori snapped, grabbing the knob and turning. It resisted and he growled, stepping back. The others watched, impressed, as the short red head took a breath and stepped forward, raising his leg and kicking the door smack in the centre, knocking it right off the hinges.

"I'll pay for the damages later," he said calmly before the old man could make a sound, and then they rushed inside.

A woman was curled in the corner of the room, screaming for all she was worth. Her arms were wrapped tightly around a young boy, pushing his face into her chest so that he wouldn't see the rest of the room.

Sasuke paled and Kiba stumbled back, his eyes wide.

"Holy shit, un," Deidara said in shock.

A man was stuck to the ceiling, his mouth open wide in a soundless scream while his arms and legs twitched violently. There was a sickening crack and everyone cringed when they witnessed his wrist break, the bone slicing out of the skin and causing blood to spatter onto the white sheets below.

"Shit!" Sasori growled, charging into the room with Deidara and Neji right on his heels. Sasuke, Kiba and Shino watched as the red head held out his hands, the tips of his fingers glowing briefly before several strings of spiritual energy shot out, attaching to the man on the ceiling. "Deidara, get the woman and kid out of here! Neji, try to get rid of the spiritual energy holding him in place!"

Neji nodded. "Byakugan!" he grunted, the veins beside his eyes throbbing. He began to concentrate, gathering spiritual energy into his palms. Deidara was coaxing the hysterical lady out, assuring her that her husband would be fine and that they would help him. She was clutching her son close, refusing to allow the little boy to look.

Kiba swallowed hard and moved to help the blond, urging the terrified family to get out. Shino was already calling for Kakashi and Sasuke felt a shiver run up his spine as he saw the blank look of fear on the man's face. It was as if he was both there and not there…like his mind wasn't fully operational.

'_Shit, I can't just do nothing!_' he thought and closed his eyes, concentrating. When he opened them, the Sharingan spun wildly, everything around him being thrown into a sharp relief. He stared up at the man, taking note of the clumps of pure black spiritual energy that were attached to his ankles and wrists and around his waist and neck. A shudder of disgust ran through him when he saw tendrils of the black energy seeping into the man's nostrils and his gaping mouth.

He concentrated on the largest amount of energy wrapped around the man's waist, trying to see where it began and where it was coming from.

A second later, he noticed that there were two very thin, nearly invisible lines running across the ceiling and down the wall. The lines criss-crossed across the floor and led to…

"Neji! Cleanse the kid! The kid is the mediator!" he yelled, pointing at the little boy that was practically engulfed in black energy. Obviously the poltergeist responsible for this stunt had somehow latched onto the kid and possessed him.

Neji turned, concentrating harder until he could see the thick energy surrounding the boy. He hadn't spotted it at first since the mother was holding him so close that her energy mixed with his, but now he could see it.

"Dammit," he hissed, rushing over to them. Deidara and Kiba quickly held the woman back as she started to scream louder, telling them not to hurt her son.

"We're not going to hurt him!" Kiba yelled over her screaming, struggling to keep his hold. "We're going to help him!"

Neji crouched before the boy who, now that they could see him clearly, was wearing the same blank expression as his father, mouth hanging open and eyes rolling back in his head. The brunet flatted his palm against the boy's chest and began to mumble a stream of words under his breath. Sasuke hissed as his eyes started to sting, and he closed one, deactivating the Sharingan simultaneously.

Everyone held their breath as a sudden silence descended on the room as Neji's chanting came to an end. Four seconds later there was a violent pulse that knocked Sasuke off his feet while Kiba and the woman toppled backwards, hitting the wall and sliding down with groans of pain. Neji held rock still as a large burst of his spiritual energy exploded out of his palm, practically shoving out the poltergeist in the boy. There was an inhuman wail before another pulse rocked the room, making Neji's hair flutter. Then, the poltergeist was gone and Sasori cried out as the man dropped, dragging him forwards as his energy-strings were yanked against him.

Sasuke sat up, rubbing the back of his head where it had collided against the floor. There were footsteps and soon he felt someone crouching beside him, holding him up.

"Sasuke! Are you okay? What happened?" Itachi asked hurriedly, one of his hands coming up to gently press over the bump on Sasuke's skull. The younger Uchiha winced but didn't complain. It was most likely going to fade soon anyway.

"A poltergeist possessed the kid….and attacked the father," he explained softly, looking into the room. The man was now on the bed, unconscious and bleeding from his wrist and his nose. The little boy was slumped in Neji's arms, a thin trickle of blood dripping out of his small nose too. Side effects of being possessed by such a violent spirit. The mother was sobbing, shaking her head back and forth even as Deidara tried to calm her.

"They need medical attention," Kakashi said before turning to the old man who was standing just outside the door, looking horrified. "Please, call an ambulance right away!"

"Y-yes!" the clerk said before turning on his heel and rushing off. Kakashi sighed heavily as he walked over to the body on the bed, checking the man's vitals. They were severely weakened, but he would be okay once he got to the hospital. He turned to the boy in Neji's arms, tilting his head in question.

"He's fine, just unconscious. No doubt his energy is completely drained after being the vessel of the spirit," Neji said softly, shifting the tiny kid in his arms. "But he should get looked at just in case. We don't know what the poltergeist may have done to his body."

"Ah," Kakashi agreed, turning to the others. "Neji, I want you to do a sweep over the room. See if there are any traces that could lead us to where the poltergeists are targeting the most. I also want Lee to cleanse the room afterwards, and the hallway too if possible. Itachi, you and I will need to have a talk with the hotel manager. No doubt Yahiko will have a few things to tell him too. Sasuke….you can go back to your room to tell Lee I need him. Also, stay with Naruto. I'm sure he's probably scared after all the screaming."

Sasuke's head snapped up, eyes alert. How could he not have thought of that! Naruto was probably terrified right now! That woman's screaming had been loud; no doubt every guest in the hotel had heard. He jumped to his feet, swaying momentarily from the fast movement, before he was rushing through the halls, intent on holding his blond for the rest of the night and letting go of the unease in his stomach after what he witnessed.

* * *

Naruto sighed happily, turning over. He was surrounded by warmth, and whatever he was lying on was soft and fluffy. His eyes cracked open slightly, the surroundings fuzzy by slowly becoming clear. He felt no surprise when he realized that he was lying amidst many furry, reddish-orange tails. One tail was draped over him, creating a blanket while the rest were bundled beneath him in a makeshift bed. He sighed contentedly, curling up closer to the warmth.

'_Kyuubi's always warm….._' he thought, closing his eyes again. He lay there for a while before light started to shine through his eyelids, and with a little groan of discontent he cracked open his eyes. The tails were gone, replaced with a head of wild black hair. The softness he had felt before had changed slightly, and he knew that the lump running under his head was an arm that didn't belong to him. The warmth of the tail draped over him and changed down to the warmth of a pale arm wrapped around his waist.

With a sigh, Naruto accepted the fact that he had woken up at last.

"Mnn," Sasuke mumbled in his sleep, his face scrunching up slightly. Naruto smiled, reaching up to cup the pale face. He ran his fingers of Sasuke's cheeks, watching as the wrinkled brow smoothed out as the raven relaxed again, and a little laugh bubbled from his throat when he witnessed Sasuke 'nom' thin air for a few seconds.

"Such a cute face," he speculated before pinching Sasuke's cheek and pulling. "Just like dough."

"Dobe…"

Naruto grinned as Sasuke's eyes slid open, the hazy black irises glaring at him as he continued to abuse the boy's cheek.

"Morning Teme," he greeted. Sasuke turned his face, getting his pinching fingers off. He moved his jaw to rid himself of the feeling of cheek-pinching, and then scowled at Naruto while the blond chuckled. His pale hands moved under the blanket, a smirk crossing his face as he reached his target and successfully cut off Naruto's laughter.

"O-oi! Where are you touching?" Naruto grumbled, cheeks fanning red. Sasuke just chuckled evilly, sliding closer and curling his fingers. Naruto flinched slightly, curling in on himself. "Teme…" he groaned, eyes sliding to half mast while Sasuke just grinned and continued his torture, enjoy the way Naruto's breathing was starting to get heavier.

A sudden knock on the door made him jump, his hand squeezing tightly. Naruto yelped in pain and shoved him away, hands sinking between his legs as he rolled over, groaning.

"Ah, you jerk…aha-ow, that hurt!"

"Sorry!" Sasuke said, sitting up and turning his deadly glare towards the door. "Who is it?"

The door opened and Yahiko walked in, his face stony and serious. Behind him was Tobi who couldn't seem to stay still. He was bouncing on the balls of his feet, hands fidgeting with the orange mask on his face.

"Good morning, Sasuke-kun. Good morning, Uzumaki-san," Yahiko greeted formally before he stood at the end of their bed, staring down at them with no emotion on his face. Sasuke narrowed his eyes. He'd never really met Yahiko before. In fact, he only knew him through Kakashi, though he knew him by his alias of 'Pein'. Yahiko actually had a brother, named Nagato, and the two of them were psychics from a very old, very powerful clan. Although, apparently Nagato was sickly and couldn't leave the house very often, leaving Yahiko to do all the field work while Nagato handled things from the inside. The two of them together were called Pein, though why, Sasuke wasn't sure.

"Good morning Sasuke-chan! And little Sunshine-chan too!" Tobi waved enthusiastically, hopping into the room and humming some ridiculous tune under his breath. Sasuke sighed heavily.

Sadly, he did know Tobi. The hyperactive raven was actually a distant relative of his. Something like….his father's uncle's sister's second cousin's son…or something like that.

Tobi had never really been around when he was a kid, for which he was somewhat thankful. Lord only knows what kind of influence he would've been on a young and impressionable Sasuke. The mere thought made him shudder. But after their parents' deaths, Itachi started to get into contact with more family members. The Uchiha family had branched out a lot, and there were many relatives in other countries. Tobi had been living in England, but when he heard that Itachi was raising Sasuke alone, he moved back to Konoha in his own, strange way of moral support.

"Good morning Uncle Tobi," Sasuke greeted tonelessly. He didn't like referring to him as Uncle, but Tobi insisted and Itachi told him not to test the man's patience. He still remembered that day when Itachi had given him the advice.

"_Sasuke, if he wants you to call him uncle, then you call him uncle," Itachi said firmly and raised a hand before the young Uchiha could protest. "Do not test the patience of two-headed dragon, for when one head gets tired, the other one will bite."_

'_Cryptic and confusing. Classic Itachi advice,_' he thought bitterly. Though, he had gotten the gist of it.

His brilliant conclusion: Tobi was a psycho who could kill him with a single thought if he didn't have his way.

It worked for him.

"Sasuke-kun, we're all meeting up in the lobby in an hour. Most of the guests in the hotel are leaving after last night's incident. Kakashi wants us to speed up our process so that the hotel can return to business as soon as possible. We could use every helping hand," as he said this, Yahiko's eyes slid over to Naruto. "…Even if the hands is actually the paw of a fox."

Sasuke blinked, his lips parting while Naruto sat upright immediately, shock clear on his face.

"What did you say?" he demanded, unable to believe his ears. How did Yahiko know? Surely Kakashi wouldn't have disclosed that information? That was something private….something that was his to talk about and no one elses.

"Do not be so surprised," Yahiko replied calmly, raising a hand. "In the past, Pein has worked with demons before, and we have come to recognize the signs of a demon host."

"Oi!" Sasuke snapped, an arm wrapping around Naruto's shoulders protectively. "Watch what you say!" His eyes slid over to Tobi.

"Ah, don't worry about me Sasuke-chan! I already know everything about Sunshine here, and his secret is safe with me! Isn't that right, Yahiko-senpai?" he asked, nudging the other man in his side. Yahiko let out a heavy exhale of annoyance, but tilted his head.

"Indeed. We understand that the information is not ours to share. However," he turned his gaze over to Naruto. "I must ask if you are in control of your seal. I would not like to have to worry about a demon-host becoming possessed by his demon during our investigation."

Naruto clenched his jaw angrily. "Yes, I am." He didn't truly know what it meant to be in control, but he didn't like this guy. Something about him just didn't sit well in his stomach.

"…Good. Well, if there is nothing else to say, then we shall see you in the lobby shortly."

Yahiko turned and swept out of the room without a second glance. Tobi lingered for a moment, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"Sasuke-chan, you sure have grown!" he said sweetly. "And to think, the last time I saw you was when you were still only ten years old and crushing on a boy in your class, and giving Itachi-chan grey hairs too!"

Naruto blinked while Sasuke's face flamed red and he growled. The blond turned to the raven, lips stretching into a wide grin.

"Really Sasuke?" he asked, and started to laugh when Sasuke shoved his hand in his face to shut him up.

"Is that all, Uncle Tobi?" the raven asked with forced politeness.

Tobi just chuckled. "Yes…for now. See you in the lobby!" he waved at them again before bouncing out the room.

Sasuke sighed, resting his head in his hand for a moment. Beside him Naruto was still grinning wickedly.

"…Age ten, really?"

Sasuke growled and turned, pouncing on the blond. They tumbled to the top of the bed, the blankets flying over them after Naruto's feet kicked them up in his struggle. Sasuke smirked as the duvet covered him and the blond, and he lowered his head, attaching his lips to Naruto's neck. Naruto let out a huff under him, his hands coming up to hold his forearms.

"Using the situation to your advantage," he grumbled, smacking Sasuke's arm lightly. His reply was just a harder suck on his skin and he groaned. "Teme."

Sasuke smirked, letting his hand wander down to its previous position before they had been interrupted.

"We still have some time," he mumbled, licking a trail up the side of Naruto's neck and heading to his mouth. Their heated breaths mingled as he spoke the next words right against pink lips. "Let's make good use of it, ne dobe?"

The duvet was draped over them, hiding their bodies from view and muffling the soft moans that begged to be turned louder.

This moment of bliss was simply the calm before the storm, however, as a chilled fog started to settle over the mansion hotel and in the very depths of the house, an echoing scream bounced off the walls of a bloodstained room…

* * *

**OMINOUS FORESHADOWING!**

**Ahem...Yep! ^_^ So, that was the first half...the next one will have more of the Crew VS Poltergeists action. :D This one had to focus a little on introductions and descriptions... Anyway, I will try to work hard on the next one so that the wait won't be long-**

**Kamari/Kaoru: DON'T JINX IT! DX**

**O.o ...Er...yeah...uhm, I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless, and please leave a review with your thoughts! ^_^**

**PRESS ZE BUTTON! DX**


	23. Bonus Chapter Part 2: Growing Darkness

**Next part~ ^_^**

**As I thought, I've had to prolong these 'bonus' chapters...There will either be only one more, or at most, two. But I will not drag it out more than that! Anyway, I hope you enjoy the second part of the Bonus chapters! ^_^**

* * *

"So, does everyone understand their mission?" Kakashi asked, clapping his hands together and looking at the crew. There were nods from everyone and he smiled happily. "Excellent. Break up into your designated teams, and get to work! We want to try and finish before sunset! But remember, there's lots of activity, so the poltergeists might be feisty!"

Naruto, Sakura, Ino and Chouji swallowed, not liking that. But there were no complaints as they began to break up into their teams. Ino, Shikamaru and Chouji were one team, with Kiba, Hinata and Shino as another. Lee went with Neji and Tenten, leaving Sasuke and Naruto with Sakura.

"We'll take the west wing," Sasuke said, and the other two agreed. They parted from the group, listening to the good luck wishes as they went. The west wing held the kitchens, a staff bathroom and a storage room. There were also a few bedrooms that the overnight staff slept in.

"Let's start with the kitchens," Sakura suggested, pushing open the double doors. They walked inside, eyes looking over the area carefully. Most of the hotel was deserted, with guests leaving after the incident last night and the staff had been given the day off while they worked.

The kitchen looked like something you'd see in a restaurant, as expected. Two large stoves were situated in the middle, back to back with tables on either side that were most likely used to put the ingredients waiting to be cooked as well as the freshly cooked waiting to be prepared. There were two fridges, two freezers and two large cabinets that held dry foods and spices. Pots and pans hung from a rack on the ceiling, and different knives and spoons and other cutlery were strung along the wall, easy to access. Chopping boards, graters, blenders, microwaves, ovens….everything was there, waiting to be utilized to create a delectable hotel meal.

"Being in here is making me hungry," Naruto said, licking his lips as he imagined all the meals that could be made. Sasuke smirked and Sakura giggled slightly.

"It's a good thing Chouji isn't here," Sakura said, smiling. "He'd try to eat something."

"He wouldn't _try_ _to_ eat _something_," Sasuke countered, his smirk widening. "He would _eat everything_."

Naruto laughed and Sakura placed a hand over her mouth to stifle the giggles as they advanced into the kitchen. They spread out slightly, opening cupboards and checking behind the fridges. Sakura held an EMF detector in her hands, slowly gliding it over objects and watching as the little light blinked and the dial shook. Sasuke was inspecting one of the stoves, his head tilted down and his hair acting as a cover for his Sharingan. He took in the faint traces of spiritual energy left behind from the kitchen staff. Nothing out of the ordinary there. He tried to see if there was any black energy like last night, but so far nothing was coming up.

Naruto glanced around at Sakura, making sure she was facing another way before he hesitantly raised his hand to his stomach. He paused, recalling what Yahiko had said about him being in control of the seal. What exactly did that mean? Was he in control, or did it not count as control when he let the seal emerge?

His hand hovered, shaking slightly before resting on his stomach, bringing the seal forth. He wasn't sure if this was a wise move, and he vowed to try and ask Kakashi, or better yet Hidan, about what it meant to be in control later.

With his improved eyesight, he started to scan over the shelves and the counters, looking for anything that seemed out of place. His nose twitched as he caught all the scents in the kitchen, and he worried that his stomach would start rumbling from the smell of the food. Resisting the urge to water at the mouth, he turned and started to look carefully.

A sudden beeping made him turn, his hand dropping and the seal vanishing as he blinked. Sasuke had turned too, their eyes zeroing in on Sakura. She stood in front of the fourth fridge, her eyes wide as she held the device up and looked at the flashing red light and the dial that was turned high.

"Something's wrong…" she said softly, stepping back from the fridge. The two boys stepped to her side, staring at the object in front of them accusingly. "But I don't feel anything strange….like, there's no presence."

Sasuke agreed with her silently. There wasn't a strange air around the object, and usually one could feel something was off when in the presence of a ghost. But the air was perfectly…oh.

"It's because the kitchen is naturally cold," Sasuke said softly, realizing why they hadn't noticed a cold spot. The tiles of the kitchen were cold already, and since there was no activity of cooking, the air was also chilled from the freezers.

Naruto swallowed. "Shouldn't we, perhaps, step away from the possessed fridge?" he asked, already inching backwards. Sasuke sent him a look to make him be quiet before boldly stepping forward, reaching for the handle. His other hand moved to the small paper seal in his pocket, pulling it out. Sakura and Naruto did the same, waiting.

Sasuke counted to eight before yanking the fridge open.

There was a rush of wind and Sakura shrieked as something flew towards her. Naruto jumped, shoving both her and Sasuke out of the way as whatever it was zoomed past them, sliding along the walls. Immediately things began to bang and clatter. The fridge doors opened and closed, pots and pans rattled together and fell from their holders. The freezers flew open and raw meat packages flew out, splattering on the walls. Sasuke ducked as a frozen chicken almost took his head off and he rolled to the side to avoid a pan from squashing his face.

Naruto had covered Sakura, his heart beating wildly as they tried to crawl away. A metallic thud sounded just before them and Sakura gave a short screech when they saw it was a butcher knife imbedded just in front of them. They broke away, spreading out.

"Quickly! Start setting up the seal!" Sasuke yelled, standing up only to duck back down again when spatula whizzed towards him. Naruto crouch-ran to the wall, reaching into his pocket and pulling out one of the seals that Lee had given him. He slammed it onto the wall, rubbing the paper to make it stick before turning to look for the others. They needed all three seals to make it work.

Sakura was crawling towards him, but she had to stop to avoid a cutting board that almost knocked her out as it flew at her face. She dodged it, stumbling before recovering and rushing over to Naruto. Slamming her own seal on the wall, she stood up, turning to look at the last member of their team.

"Sasuke!"

"Sasuke-kun!"

Sasuke was on the other side, having had to dodge a knife. He stepped back and let out a yell as he tripped over a rolling pin that was clattering across the floor. Pain flared up his tailbone as he landed, and he cursed, rolling again to dodge the heavy pot that fell to the floor.

"Shit, Sasuke!" Naruto yelled, seeing that the raven was having trouble getting to them. He looked around, eyes wide before he spotted the grey mass flying around the ceiling, directly over Sasuke. "Sakura, hold my seal," he ordered, letting go. Sakura placed her fingers on the seal to make sure it wouldn't fall, watching him fearfully.

"What're you going to do?"

"Distract it," Naruto said, his voice unsure. He ran into the middle of the kitchen, looking up at the grey mass that was still hovering over his raven. "Oi! Over here!" he yelled, grabbing a ladle and throwing it right at the ghost. It went right through the grey blob, but it seemed to work. The flying objects changed direction, zooming straight for him.

He yelled and ducked, missing a homicidal grater that almost gave him a facial. "Sasuke, get to the wall!" he ordered as he jumped to the side, avoiding a pan.

Sasuke ran for it, jumping over falling foods and kitchenware. He reached the wall, slamming his own seal down onto it.

"Move, Sakura!" he ordered, pressing his hands into the correct seal shape that Lee, Neji and Kakashi had made him learn and practice. Sakura stepped back, covering her head with her hands as things continued to fly around. She looked over, wondering where Naruto was, and let out a shriek.

"Naruto-kun!"

Sasuke's head snapped to the side, seeing Naruto flying through the air. He slammed into the roof, letting out a grunt of pain from the impact.

"Sasuke, hurry!" he groaned, sliding along the ceiling. It felt as though something was pressing against his abdomen, and his wrists and ankles. He was pinned tight to the ceiling by a crushing weight. In his head, he could hear Kyuubi growling and feel the heat radiating from his stomach and out.

Sasuke cursed, concentrating hard on gathering as much spiritual energy as he could. There was no way he was going to let Naruto go through what the man from last night had suffered. A bead of sweat dripped down the side of his face as he heard another groan of pain behind him, and Sakura started to urge him to hurry.

Naruto had squeezed his eyes shut against the pain, but when he suddenly felt weightless his eyes snapped open. He gasped as he began to fall, only to jerk violently as he was slammed against the roof again. Sakura let out a shriek as it happened again, his head bouncing violently.

Sasuke opened his eyes, determined and angry now. He stood, having gathered the necessary amount and slammed both hands into the centre of the seal created by their three papers placed in a triangle.

"Kiyomeru!" he yelled, and immediately the three paper seals around his hand glowed bright white, almost blinding him before he looked away.

Sakura covered her eyes as the flash got brighter, and Sasuke could feel the resistance against his hands, but he kept pushing like he was told to do.

Naruto saw the light and turned his head away, about to close his eyes. As he did so he felt something slice across his stomach, and he yelled at the pain. The light became blinding, and all three of them were struggling to fight off the glare even through their closed eyelids.

Finally, the light vanished. A second later, the sounds of things falling to the floor was heard as all the flying kitchenware and food fell, no longer supported by the destructive rage of an angered poltergeist. Naruto let out a cry of pain as he landed on the corner of a counter before hitting the floor, coughing after being winded.

Sakura and Sasuke raced to his side immediately, helping him to a sitting position.

"Are you alright?" Sasuke asked in concern, holding his head in his hands. "Dobe? Can you hear me?"

Naruto was groggy, his head aching from all the times it had hit the ceiling. He reached up a shaky hand, patting Sasuke's hands on his face and trying to smile. It came out as a grimace, however.

"I'm fine…a little sore and tired, but I'm okay," he said breathlessly. Sakura was inspecting his bruises, and she gasped.

"What happened to your chest?" she asked, horrified. They looked down, seeing a long tear in Naruto's shirt and the edges were tinted with blood.

Panicked, Sasuke pulled the torn folds apart to reveal the skin underneath, but stopped when he saw the unmarred skin.

"…You're not injured?" he asked, looking up to Naruto. Blue eyes stared at the smooth skin in surprise. He could remember feeling something slide across his chest, cutting him. But he wasn't hurt? Had it missed, and just been a shadow pain?

He looked to the side, wondering what had been the object he felt. Then he spotted a butcher knife lying a few feet away, next to a lump of meat. It had blood along the blade, and there was a small piece of orange material from his shirt stuck on the tip. He blinked, staring at it in wonder.

"I guess it just missed me," he said, pointing over at the knife. The others looked over at it and Sakura made a noise of protest.

"B-but what about the blood?" she asked, looking between them.

"Maybe it's not his blood. There's lots of raw meat around here; the knife could have come into contact with some before slicing Naruto's shirt," Sasuke reasoned, running a finger over the would-be cut line on Naruto's chest.

The three mulled over it before the crackle of the radio's they'd been given put a stop their thoughts.

"_It's Kakashi, checking in. How is your group doing?_"

Sasuke sighed, clicking the button as he brought the object to his mouth. Looking around, he grimaced at the chaos lying around them.

"Well, we got attacked. A poltergeist was in the kitchen, and it tried to butcher us all."

"…_.I'm assuming that, since you're talking to me calmly, you successfully placed a seal in the kitchen?_" Kakashi asked slowly.

"Yes," Sasuke said, turning to look at the faintly glowing seal on the wall. The paper had shredded and burned away, but the symbols that had been on them were engraved into the wall, simmering with a dull glow like lava behind a crumbling rock wall.

"_Good. Move on to the next location then."_ Kakashi signed out and the three got to their feet, brushing themselves off.

"Well….let's go I guess?" Naruto said, running a hand over the tear in his shirt. Sasuke took a hold of his other hand and nodded to Sakura, and the three of them left the kitchen, ready to face the next obstacles.

* * *

Itachi rubbed his seal onto the wall and gathered up his energy to finish it off. So far he, Kakashi and Kisame hadn't had any trouble, and had manage to set up the cleansing seals in the lobby, the first hallway and two bedrooms on the first floor. They were now in the dining room.

"This is borderline boring," Kisame yawned, scratching his head as he played around with his batch of seals.

"Well, some of the other teams are having fun. Deidara and Sasori had a run in with a poltergeist in one of the bathrooms. Apparently it tried to shove Sasori down the toilet," Kakashi said, smiling while the other two snickered. "And Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura fought off a nasty one in the kitchen."

"Are they okay?" Itachi asked, body tensing. Ever since Sasuke and Naruto had gotten out of the hospital, the mere idea of them getting hurt made his heart want to jump out of his throat and beat him over the head with a German Sausage…..Don't ask him, he didn't know why either.

"They're fine. Bumps and bruises, but nothing serious. They're moving onto the staff room now, if I'm not mistaken."

The three of them walked out of the dining room, talking softly as they headed for the lounge. As they passed through the lobby, Itachi slowed his steps.

"Do you two hear that?" he asked, his head turning to the side as he listened intently. The other two quieted, straining their ears. Kisame frowned, unable to hear a thing.

"I don't hear—"

"There's no noise," Kakashi affirmed, his brows creasing. His head turned to look out the window. "Not even birds…where did they all go?"

Itachi nodded slowly, his stomach clenching uncomfortably. "Something's changed…."

"Something big enough to scare away the animals?" Kisame asked incredulously. "I know animals are a lot more in tune with the supernatural than humans, but for all the birds around to flee? That would take some serious shit!" he said.

"And that's exactly why it's worrying," Kakashi said, walking in front of them and narrowing his eyes down the hall. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that he hadn't heard a single bird, nor seen a single creature since the night before. Even if the poltergeist attack last night had been enough to scare them, they would have returned the next morning once things were clear.

Itachi frowned, not liking the situation. For the surrounding animals to be scared off like this, it had to be something serious like Kisame said. Something like ghouls, or a wendigo, or some form of a demon.

"Give all the other teams an alert call to be extra careful. Tell them to avoid the basements and attic for now, and any other extremely secluded places that the hotel hasn't been using!" Kakashi ordered and the other two brought out their radios immediately, calling the others.

Itachi called Sasuke's group first, wanting to warn his brother and the others as quickly as possible.

"_Sasuke here."_

"Sasuke, you and the others must be very careful. Don't head towards the attic or the basement, and stay away from the secluded and unused areas of the hotel for now."

"_Why? Did something happen?_"

"We're not sure what it is, but there's something wrong. All the wildlife has vanished from the surrounding areas….for that to happen, there has to be something big and bad here."

"_Oh gee, and I guess five fucking poltergeists doesn't quite meet the quota for that?"_

Itachi smiled at Sasuke's sarcasm. "Sadly, even five angry poltergeists wouldn't be able to scare off every single animal around. For now just be careful. Finish up the most used rooms and then head back to the lounge room to wait for everyone. We'll come up with our next move then."

"_Tch, roger._"

Once all the teams were notified, the three of them continued on their way, more alert than before.

They reached another hallway with three doors and looked at each other.

"Let's try do this quickly. We'll all take a set of seals and then pick a room," Kakashi said, handing out one of his seals to each of them. Once all seals were exchanged, the three of them split up into their chosen rooms. Kakashi got a bedroom with two single beds. He started to set the seal up on the wall between them.

Itachi found himself in what looked like a storage room of cleaning supplies. Covering his nose to try and block the strong smell of disinfectant, he started to place his seals on the back wall.

Kisame opened the door to his room and saw it was a spacious room filled with covered furniture. He vaguely recalled the old clerk telling them that there were some rooms where the furniture from the mansion had been covered while they decided what to do with it.

He walked to the nearest object, the thick white sheet stopping him from discerning what it is. Gingerly, he lifted it up and saw that it was a very fancy dresser with eagle-footed legs and fancy leaf designs carved into the drawers. It was obviously an antique of some kind, and he could understand why the hotel was keeping it around and unwilling to just toss it.

Shrugging, he replaced the sheet and looked around, searching for a spot to put the seal. Settling his eyes on the far right wall, he began to weave his way through the various white structures.

He was in the middle of the room when the temperature dropped and he froze, his breath appearing as fog before him while every hair on his body stood up straight and his heart stuttered.

"Shit."

The white sheets flew up violently, the harsh flapping of material moving through air filling the previously silent room. He was blinded by all the white sheets flying around, but the heart-stopping sounds of furniture scraping along the wooden floor alerted him to the oncoming danger. He dived to the side, avoiding the very same dresser he had been admiring before as it crashed towards him. It slammed into the wall, stopping while he hurriedly crawled to his feet. He tried to find the wall but the sheets were still going crazy around him. He couldn't see a damn thing!

"Dammit!" he cursed, hearing another heavy thud as something came barrelling towards him. Just as he determined where it was coming from, another noise sounded behind him, and then another somewhere else until an endless banging was joining the flaps of material. He stopped dead, unable to tell where each noise was coming from. Fear ripped through him as he realized he was literally trapped.

Something grabbed his ankle and he looked down. A gaunt face was leering up at him, blank eyes and pasty, shimmering skin hovering between transparent and opaque. He screamed, trying to move away from the spirit but the hold on his ankle tightened and pain leaked into his voice as he felt his muscles bruise.

Then he was yanked, his head hitting the floor and bouncing. Dazed, he tried to move, managing to sit up. Looking up, he saw the sheet in front of him fall away and a whimper involuntarily left his throat a second before a heavy brass vase slammed into his head with full force. Blood spattered across the floor and the white sheets floating around as he fell back, blood dripping down his face and his eyes rolling back in his head, leaving nothing but whiteness behind. The frenzied sheets around him slowly drifted back down, landing haphazardly on the scattered and broken furniture. The silence returned for a few seconds before the door slammed open, and both Kakashi and Itachi rushed in. The second their eyes landed on Kisame, Itachi rushed to his side and Kakashi was calling an ambulance.

"Kisame!" Itachi called, pressing his fingers to the man's pulse point. "Kisame, dammit, wake up! KISAME!"

* * *

Sasuke watched as the ambulance drove away down the drive, taking Kisame's bloodied and unconscious form, as well as Itachi's worried person, with it. His brother had been torn on whether to stay and keep an eye on him, or go and be there for Kisame. Eventually Kakashi convinced him that he would look after the crew fine without him, and sent him on his way.

"Is Kisame going to be okay?" Naruto asked worriedly, squeezing Sasuke's hand in his own.

Kakashi sighed next to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "He's injured pretty bad. The vase hit him straight on, and it was made of heavy brass too. He's definitely going to have a concussion at the very least…possibly worse. We just have to trust in the doctors to take care of him," he said heavily, patting their shoulders before turning and walking towards the hotel. "Shino, Shikamaru, Tenten! Come with me. We're going to set up some equipment before sunset."

The three called members quickly followed after him, leaving the rest of the crew to hang around. Sasuke and Naruto stayed on the front porch, staring down the road. A soft cough sounded behind them and they turned to see the old hotel clerk standing there.

"I never imagined that all of this could be real," he said, running a hand over the doorframe. "When the manager told me that he had called in some specialists to see what was causing all the havoc, I thought he was simply being silly. I thought the chaos was just pure accidents….but now…" he sighed, turning weary old eyes to them. "This job is so dangerous…and yet all you employees are so young. You're children! How can you work in such a dangerous career?" he asked.

Naruto chewed his lip, wondering about that. It was true that this line of work, though unheard of and very uncommon, was actually extremely dangerous when done properly. It was one thing for a bunch of ghost-lovers to go to every abandoned building with a video camera and call themselves ghost-hunters…it was another to actually have people who experienced the supernatural, who could understand and do things with it like the Hyuuga's and Lee and the adults….

But why did they all stay? It was dangerous, and as he said they were merely children….

"Kakashi has made it clear to everyone on the team," Sasuke spoke up after a long silence, gaining the attention of both the old clerk and Naruto. "…From the beginning he told us that this job was going to be dangerous….and he told us that we were free to leave whenever we wanted. Be it during a normal day or even halfway through a job. If we want to leave, we are allowed to. He won't stop us."

The Uchiha turned to face the old man fully, his back straight and his face strong. "We stay because we want to. We stay because we know that we can help people in ways no one else can. We stay…because we are members of Rei-Senzai Inc. and no amount of danger is going to change that."

Naruto grinned and nodded in agreement. The old man stared at them in wonder before a crooked smile curved his face.

"You and your teammates are certainly admirable people. If only all the people in the world had that kind of dedication and nobility," he said, walking up to them and placing his knobbly hands on each of their shoulders. Pinning them with a look, he smiled. "Very well…I leave the fate of this hotel in your hands. If you need my help in any way, don't hesitate to ask me and I shall assist as best as I can."

Sasuke nodded, smiling slightly while Naruto grinned and gave him a thumbs up.

"Actually, there is something I would like to ask you."

The three of them turned to see Yahiko approaching them, his face still set in that stony countenance. Tobi was nowhere to be seen, leaving them to think he was with the others.

"Yes, of course. What is it?" the old man asked, turning to look at him.

"Does this mansion have any secret rooms?" Yahiko got straight to the point. "I know there is a basement and an attic, but are there any other areas we haven't been told of? Shelters or passageways or even blocked rooms?"

The old man hummed in thought, obviously mapping out the mansion in his mind as he tried to think. Eventually he shook his head.

"I'm afraid I don't know of any secret rooms or passageways…oh, but," he tilted his head, regarding the group thoughtfully, "this house once belonged to a wealthy family, some hundred years ago….apparently the head of the family was a bit of a lunatic, who believed in some strange beliefs. There was a rumour that he built an underground shelter where he hid away his artefacts and various treasures he had acquired. Naturally, when the manager built this property, he searched the entire area and house for that room, but nothing was found."

Yahiko nodded slowly, cupping his chin in thought. "I see….however, sometimes we do not the most obvious of things unless we know how to look for them," he said, looking at the two teenagers. "You two, go back to the living room. We'll be meeting there in twenty minutes. We're going to search this mansion from top to bottom and find that secret shelter."

"You're not the boss," Naruto grumbled, glaring off at the side. Yahiko narrowed his eyes and stepped past the old man, grabbing Naruto's chin with his hand. He ignored Sasuke's warning growl.

"And _you_ are nothing but a mere add on with a built in alarm system in the form of a dangerous demon. In terms of rank I am, and always will be, above you."

Naruto's lips pulled back into a vicious snarl, but before he could lash out Sasuke grabbed Yahiko's wrist and roughly pushed the man away. His eyes had burned red with the Sharingan in anger, and he glared at the older man.

"I wouldn't give a shit if you were the Queen of England," he growled. "Don't ever touch him, or say things like that again, or I will personally make sure you are incapable of seeing anything other than the inside of your own ass!"

Yahiko sneered at his threats. "Insolent. You think that just because you bear the Sharingan that you hold any sort of power? You're a foolish child….and you aren't going to last long at this rate."

Two growls erupted from the teens as Yahiko nonchalantly straightened, as if their glares and threats weren't even worth his acknowledgement. Naruto was ready to pounce, anger bubbling over the edge. He felt the seal on his stomach start to emerge, and a small part of him was screaming for him to stop; to not prove Yahiko right. Sasuke's eyes were spinning as his fists clenched. He had never thought much of Yahiko before, having never really known him, but now he wanted to tear his throat out and feed it to him through his nose.

"What's going on, un?" Deidara appeared at that moment with Tobi trailing alongside him. The two stopped in the doorway, seeing the group gathered on the porch. The old man was standing to the side, worriedly watching the interactions between the other three. Sasuke's Sharingan was still activated and glaring, and Naruto's snarl was still in place.

"Ah, Yahiko-senpai!" Tobi protested, bouncing forward. "Are you upsetting Sasuke-chan?" he asked accusingly. Yahiko turned to face him, his face showing no emotion as he smoothed out a wrinkle in his shirt.

"If they're getting upset, it's due to their own immaturity. We have a job to do. Call the others for a meeting in the lounge area in twenty minutes."

Without another word, he swept inside the mansion, leaving the others behind. Sasuke was panting in anger, fighting the urge to run after him and plant his foot firmly down the man's throat.

Deidara turned, seeing the boiling rage in both the teens. He sighed, scratching his head as he gave them a sympathetic smile.

"Maa, don't let Yahiko's attitude upset you, un!" he said, gaining their attention. "He can be a bit of a jerk sometimes, un."

Sasuke relaxed slightly at knowing that even someone as easy going as Deidara could admit that Yahiko was an ass. Naruto just crossed his arms and looked away; still angry over the condescending comments he'd been subjected to.

"A bit of a jerk? Deidara-senpai, do you need glasses?" Tobi exclaimed, waving his hands around wildly. "Yahiko-senpai is a real meanie! He always picks on Tobi, even when Tobi is a good boy!"

Deidara chuckled at the man's speech, nodding in agreement. "Okay, so he's a major jerk. But you can't blame him that much un," he said, turning saddened eyes towards the doorway that Yahiko had gone through.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked grumpily. Sasuke put an arm around his shoulder, the two of them stewing in their anger together.

Deidara turned to them, linking his hands and smiling gently while Tobi sat on the porch railing and swung his feet like a child.

"You know that Yahiko has a brother, right? His name is Nagato, un?" Deidara asked, and the two nodded. "Well, see when they were younger, Nagato and Yahiko used to always stick together un! They were best friends as well as brothers, and always went on their adventures together, un."

"They were hunting ghosts since they were little kids!" Tobi added, waggling his finger. "They're actually powerful psychics, and their abilities developed really early!"

Deidara nodded in agreement, his smile faltering. "Actually, that's where the problem lies, un."

Sasuke tilted his head in question while Naruto remained quiet, listening carefully. Deidara moved to the railing as well, leaning against it next to Tobi. He had the attention of both the two teens and the old man who was still there, silent and curious.

"Now, Sasuke, you know that because psychics have strong spiritual energy to start with, they tend to attract supernatural things to their area more than a normal person, un?" Deidara said, and Sasuke nodded while Naruto blinked at this new information. "Right, well, because Yahiko and Nagato are such powerful psychics, they attracted a lot of ghosts and creatures when they were kids, un. They hunted these ghosts in their childhood and soon became really good hunters. By the time they were in college, they were pretty well known un!"

"But then that changed when they graduated!" Tobi hopped off the rail, the wood creaking under his movement. He landed in front of them and crouched slightly, his masked face looming before them as he held up a finger. "See, during one hunt they came across a powerful demon!"

Naruto's hand immediately lingered over his stomach while Sasuke glanced at him before looking back. If Tobi noticed the discomfort they shared, he ignored it.

"That demon was really a mean one; it had been attacking students, teachers and innocent victims for years and no one knew how to stop it! But then Yahiko-senpai and Nagato-senpai discovered a way to exorcise it!"

Deidara nodded, tugging on Tobi's shoulder to pull him back. "Exactly, un. So they exorcised the demon, but the problem was…just before it vanished, it cast a curse on Nagato."

Naruto's eyes widened. "They can do that?" he asked. Deidara nodded and shrugged.

"Demons aren't like regular supernatural things. They're smarter, more aware of themselves and their powers and tend to act less on their emotions or instinct and more on actual plans. It's true that there are lesser demons that attack just to cause pain, but the more powerful demons are the ones that can fight back with more than brute force or fear alone, un."

"An example is the demon that killed Sasori-san's parents when he was a kid!" Tobi said cheerfully. The reaction was amazing. Naruto's eyes widened and Sasuke looked surprised at learning this fact he'd never known…but Deidara's face twisted in anger and he violently punched the back of Tobi's head.

"Oi! That's not your business to talk about, un!" he growled angrily. "That's a personal matter to Sasori!"

Tobi rubbed his head, whining. "I was just making an example! That demon was powerful! It used doll's bodies to do its bidding, and actually had a cycle of killing! And it could talk and remember him when he killed it at the doll factory!" Tobi said in a hurried breath, dodging Deidara's aggressive slashes.

"Tobi, shut up un!" Deidara snapped. Tobi giggled and turned on his heel, running back inside.

"Tobi is a good boooy!"

"No! Bad Tobi! Very bad un!" Deidara yelled after his retreating form. Puffing, he turned to the others and cleared his throat. "Please don't bring that up in front of Sasori, un. He's very touchy about that subject."

The three listeners nodded. Deidara sighed, crossing his arms.

"Anyway, un. The point is that Nagato was cursed by the demon. The curse rendered his body weak and sickly, making it near impossible for him to move around outside the house for longer than ten minutes or so. His body was so weak that if you gave him a normal high five, his wrist would snap in two, un!"

Naruto winced. That was weak…seriously weak. How did he stay alive if that was his state?

"Yahiko enlisted the help of some Shrine Maidens and Monks to try and remove the curse…but they were only able to weaken it enough to allow Nagato to stay alive, un. Since then, Yahiko has dedicated his life to researching and tracking down demons. He wants to find a way to reverse the curse as well as get revenge for the suffering Nagato's been put through. That's why they call themselves 'Pein', un. To signify the pain they've gone through because of the demon."

Naruto looked at the ground, a hand on his stomach. He could understand now why Yahiko disliked him. It was unfair of Yahiko to treat him badly because he was a demon host, but then again would he be different? If a demon host hurt Sasuke while possessed, would he be able to look past that as easily as he wished? He wasn't sure and he hoped he wouldn't have to find out through trial and error.

Sasuke just huffed. He understood, but that didn't mean he liked Yahiko any more than before. It just made his anger ebb away as understanding replaced it; but if Yahiko did that again, he would put him in his place.

"Come on, un!" Deidara spoke up, checking his watch and looking around. "The meeting's gonna start soon, so we'd best get going!"

* * *

Sakura sneezed and wrapped her jacket around her tighter, one hand holding the flashlight up as she inspected the wall in front of her. Right now she was in the back hallway, running her fingers over every inch of the wall she could as she searched for any possible 'secret passageways'. She rolled her eyes at the thought.

'Sometimes working for the crew makes me feel like I'm in a Scooby-Doo episode,' she thought, tapping her knuckles against a painting.

"Any luck?" Tenten asked, coming to a stop beside her. Sakura shook her head, reaching the corner.

"Nothing. Not that I expected anything though," she said and Tenten nodded in agreement.

"It does seem a bit too cliché doesn't it?"

The two sighed, standing around after their failed search. Tenten started to radio in, eyes scanning the hallway. Sakura held her flashlight steady, sweeping it over the paintings on the wall. She wished that the lights could have been turned on, but Yahiko has said they must keep all main lights off. His reason was that it was possible that some trap doors could only be located under the cover of darkness, and since no one had explored the mansion in the dark before it was their turn to do so now.

"Hey Kakashi. There was nothing along the walls here," Tenten informed sadly.

"_Not a thing?_" Kakashi asked, sounded tired.

"Nope."

The man sighed over the speaker. "_So far no one has found a thing. Not even Hinata and Neji are having any luck with their Byakugan. So you've searched every inch of the walls there?_"

"Yes, every inch. Not a thing. What do we do now?"

"_Get on your knees and start searching every inch of the floor._"

"WHAT?" both girls screeched, but Kakashi had already switched off. They turned to look at each other before sighing heavily and moving to the end of the hallway. They got on their knees and started to run their hands over the floor, feeling and tapping and poking and prodding in an effort to find any kind of entrance to a hidden area.

"This is stupid," Tenten grumbled as she knocked on the floor and shook out her fist afterwards. "If there was something under the floor, wouldn't someone have found it already? I mean, they could've fallen through the opening or felt the floor sink slightly if there was something unsteady!"

"I guess, but what can we do?" Sakura said, tapping against an area and feeling the solid boards underneath. Tenten huffed in annoyance but the two continued on their way.

They had reached an intersection when Sakura heard something.

"Hey, do you hear that?" she whispered, sitting up. Tenten stopped knocking the floor and looked up, listening.

Faintly, down the hallway to their right, they could hear a slightly familiar sound. It was the sound of…

"Is someone crying?" Tenten mumbled, turning her head towards the sound.

"It sounds like a child!" Sakura added, listening to the light sniffles and sobs. "A little boy, I think?"

"You don't think someone left their kid here by mistake?" Tenten asked in horror, climbing to her feet. Sakura stood too, shining her flashlight down the hall.

"I don't know. Maybe. Or perhaps one of the staff members has a kid and brought them to work tonight?" she suggested, already starting to walk down. Tenten followed her, staying close. They walked past the closed doors of the various rooms, the paintings on the wall barely visible in the light of their flashlights.

The crying grew louder, more vivid as they approached the end of the hall. Sakura moved her flashlight up and it fell across a thin leg.

"Ah! Hey, are you okay?" she asked, moving the light up. A small boy was sitting against the wall, legs out in front of him and his head down, hands pressed over his face as he sobbed. "Are you hurt?" Sakura asked kindly, stepping closer.

"What are you doing here all by yourself?" Tenten asked gently, kneeling down. The kid kept sobbing, shaking his head slightly.

"What's your name sweetie?" Sakura began, smiling. The sobs slowly subsided and they watched as the little boy wiped at his eyes under his bangs. Slowly, he lifted his head. As soon as his face was clear, their smiles dropped and their hearts stuttered.

The boy was grinning, lips pulled apart in a macabre smile. His eyes were black from the start of his skin to the centre; not a hint of white or any other colour. Trails of blackened liquid were trailing from the corners of his eyes, his mouth and his nose. More of the blackened liquid was smeared over his chest and neck as he grinned at them before raising a hand, reaching out for them as a frightening laugh hissed from his open mouth.

The girls screamed loudly, Sakura grabbing Tenten's shoulder and pulling her back and away from the oncoming monster. The child continued to advance, not walking but instead crawling and pulling itself forward as if its leg were broken. The two girls scrambled backwards, terrified. But Sakura was too scared to take her flashlight off of its figure, afraid that if she did it would vanish and reappear somewhere else; somewhere worse…

"Get away from us!" Tenten shrieked as the child laughed again, crawling towards them. Her ankle caught on an upturn in the carpet and she fell with a cry, dragging Sakura down with her. The flashlight wavered, swinging up and throwing the creature into the darkness. Sakura's heart froze when she felt something cold, dry and scratchy wrap around her ankle. A freezing breath fanned over her cheek and a giggle sounded right by her ear.

Sakura screamed, her voice loud and powerful as she gave it her all. Tenten was doing the same. It was all they could do, having no clue on how to fight this thing. It wasn't a normal ghost, they were sure. Normal ghosts didn't have to drag themselves, and didn't have such physical forms. This was almost like the ghosts that they fought back in the orphanage…ghosts with a corporeal form.

"HELP!" Sakura shrieked, feeling a hand clawing its way up to her throat. "HELP US!"

There were thudding footsteps, and both girls screamed again, crying for help from whoever had come to their aid. A light shone on them, and Sakura started to cry at seeing the dead face of the child right above her, leering down at her as the black liquid continued to trail down its pale face.

And then, something indiscernible was yelled and there was a blinding flash around them. Sakura shut her eyes, tears squeezing out as she felt the hold on her ankle and her neck vanish. When the light faded back down to that of a flashlight, she opened her eyes to find the thing was gone.

"Are you alright?" a frantic voice asked, and slowly she turned over, dragging herself up. Tenten did the same, her hands shaking violently as they looked at their saviour.

Lee crouched down beside them, his face worried. Neji stood behind him, his flashlight aimed over them while the veins around his eyes pulsated.

"You are not hurt, I hope?" Lee asked, placing his prayer beads back into his pocket. Sakura stared at him for a moment before her face scrunched up slightly and she jumped forward. Her arms wrapped around his neck, surprising the boy, before she started to cry in earnest. She had felt so terrified just then. The only other time she had ever felt that scared had been the time she was in a basement, holding an unconscious Sasuke while a frightening spirit came rushing right at them. Even then it hadn't been as close as now, and she could only cry and cling onto Lee.

Tenten also looked on the verge of tears, though she was biting her lip harshly. Neji knelt down, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. With a soft sniffle, she turned her head into his chest, allowing herself to cry freely without being embarrassed as she knew Neji would never say anything.

"I do not understand," Lee mumbled, patting Sakura's back as he let her cry. His eyes were looking over the hallway, narrowed in confusion. "I am certain that we cleansed this hallway already! No poltergeist should have been able to attack here. The most they could do was fly through!"

"It wasn't a poltergeist," Tenten said, still facing Neji's chest. She hiccupped a bit, gathering herself before turning. "T-this was something else…" she gave them a detailed recount of the child they had found.

"That sounds like a Maigo," Neji said thoughtfully, placing a finger on his chin as he went over what she had said.

"A M-Maigo?" Sakura asked, turning her head slightly. Tears were still leaking out her eyes, but she could at least breathe properly and her heart wasn't about to burst in her chest. "What's t-that?"

"Maigo's are basically the souls of lost children who died without ever finding peace. It could be the soul of a child who was kidnapped, or a child who got lost while walking and never found their way home. Often they appear in areas like city forest borders, or in abandoned construction sites where wandering children died in an accident, like falling into a pit and breaking their necks. They have more corporeal forms than normal ghosts, and their spiritual energy levels are stronger and fresher due to their young age," Lee explained.

Neji nodded. "And there are only two ways to get rid of a Maigo. One is an exorcism ritual which is quite tricky to perform without everything in place."

"What's the second way?" Tenten asked.

"Well, like with most supernatural things, there are ways to convince the ghosts to move on by their own choice. Maigo's, though quite vicious when they appear, will calmly move on if you manage to take their bodies home. After all, all they truly want is to go back to their home and be allowed the chance to say a proper goodbye to their loved ones. They are vicious because they are, in a sense, still scared, lost and alone. If you manage to find the body of a Maigo, then you should take them back to their home and set them free," Lee informed them, smiling slightly.

"But what would a Maigo be doing here?" Neji mumbled, looking uneasy.

Lee nodded slightly, also disturbed. "It is certainly something we must look into. It seems that the poltergeists are not the only disturbances here after all."

They radioed Kakashi, who ordered that everyone go to the living room immediately to discuss everything. As soon as they told him they had encountered a Maigo, he grew worried.

"Dammit, things just keep getting worse," he grumbled.

"Uh….what's a Maigo?" Naruto asked softly. Sasuke turned, starting to explain it to him while the others that didn't know leant closer to hear. While he did that, Kakashi turned to the others.

"Sasori, could you call Kakuzu for me and have him research this land and this mansion. I want as much information as he can gather as soon as he can. There's something we're missing here and we need to figure out what it is."

Sasori nodded, sending a glance at Deidara and the others before making his way out of the room to the front desk to use the phone. Kakashi turned to the remaining members.

"Deidara, I want you to set up a strong protective barrier around the living room and front room. I know we've already got several but if there are Maigo's here, there may be something even worse. I don't want any more surprises. After that, you and Sasori go down to the servants quarters where the remaining staff are sleeping, and put some protection up there. Yahiko and I are going to do a search for the body of that Maigo," he said, receiving a nod from the men.

Deidara got up immediately, nodding and making his way out of the room.

Yahiko stood up, fixing his jacket and the two of them shared a look before Kakashi turned to the rest.

"Everyone, you'll stay here tonight. If you want some sleep, sleep here. Until we get back, you do not leave this room, understood?"

"Yes sir!"

With an approving nod, Kakashi turned and followed Yahiko out the room to begin their search.

Naruto watched their retreating backs, a hand coming up to rest on his stomach. In the back of his mind, he could hear the Kyuubi growling softly, and he did not like the sense of unease he had, but he didn't say anything. He knew that everyone was probably uneasy, and so he knew telling them that he was especially uneasy wouldn't make any difference….

He just hoped the growing sense of dread in his stomach was his natural scaredy-cat instincts acting up, and not some forewarning for the future.

* * *

**FUUAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAAAA! ! ! **

**8D**

**To be continued~**

**Reviews would be appreciated! (Drop a line and let me know what'cha think ne?)  
**


	24. Bonus Chapter Part 3: Leave None Behind

**Well, thanks to a contest entry I wrote which frustrated the HELL out of me (900 words only? Those people cannot have very high expectations for their entries) I got motivated to write, and thanks to watching Supernatural lately, my head was in the horror zone...so here we are with the next part of the RS2 Bonus chapters! (there will be four. It's official. So one more after this!)**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy this one! The next will have the big finale~!**

* * *

Despite searching the entire garden around the hotel, Yahiko and Kakashi were unable to find a single body or sign of a Maigo's resting place. Their search proved useless, and it frustrated Kakashi that they weren't getting any leads. He had thought it was just going to be poltergeists, and he had planned for just poltergeists.

'_Dammit…it's like the Orphanage Incident all over again,_' he thought, recalling how unprepared they had been then. He looked around at everyone as they ate breakfast. It was their third day there, and so far they had managed to at least cleanse most of the staff areas and a few of the guest rooms, but the cleansing wouldn't last forever. If they didn't find and exorcise the poltergeists before the end of the week, they would be able to wreak havoc as they pleased in no time again.

"Any news from Kakuzu?" he asked tiredly, turning to look at Sasori. The puppet maker looked up at him, his cheeks bulging and a bit of syrup dripping down his chin. He didn't try to speak; his blank eyes said it all.

"Ah…right…finish your pancake volcano, and then we'll talk," Kakashi smiled and Sasori just nodded once before going back to the huge stack of fluffy pancakes on his plate. Deidara was watching him eat, smiling pleasantly as he cut up his own eggs and toast.

"Geez, slow down before you choke, Dobe!"

"Teme! I will never choke on my own foo-gh! Ugh! GH!"

Kakashi grinned as he looked across the table to see Sasuke thumping Naruto on the back, trying to dislodge whatever morsel was stuck in his throat. His smile grew when, after several failed hits, Sakura came up and pulled Naruto out of his chair.

"Shannaro!"

Sasuke had to duck to avoid a bit of toast that came flying towards his face when, with one strong squeeze, Sakura had performed the world's fasted Heimlich Manoeuvre on Naruto and saved him from choking on his breakfast.

"Dobe, I told you!"

"Agh…shut up….Thanks Sakura," Naruto coughed, rubbing both his chin and his chest. Sakura just nodded, smiling slightly before she sat down and neatly continued to eat her cereal.

Kiba was laughing at their situation, and in doing so missed how Hinata started to eat his bacon off his plate since her own was finished and she was still hungry. When he did turn, he caught her with a piece of bacon hanging out her mouth and a wide-eyed look of guilt on her face. For a second he just stared at her, and then he leant down, picked the bacon up with his teeth and chewed happily on the other end until their lips met.

Both Naruto and Sasuke laughed scornfully when Neji's fork 'mysteriously' flew across the table and shallow-stabbed the side of his head.

"FUCKING _OW_!"

Kakashi chuckled at the argument that broke out on their end of the table. He was often amazed at the members of his crew. They were so young and carefree, but each of them had experienced things that even grown adults would have trouble facing, and yet despite seeing one of the hidden, and darkest parts of the world, they still smiled and had fun and were optimistic. He knew that he was lucky to know each of them. His hand clenched under the table.

'_Whatever is here is bad….We have to be careful. I don't want any more accidents like the orphanage or the sewer…._'

Naruto wiped his mouth, still chortling at Kiba's expense while Hinata tended to the little bloody spots on his head while he grumbled and cursed Neji, who seemed to not even notice him. Sasuke was eating, his plate sporting an omelette that looked as if it had been invaded by tomato aliens.

He was about to take another bite of his own toast when the hairs on the back of his neck stood up, and a familiar rumble sounded in his head. He dropped his toast, head snapping around to look at the doorway behind him. He was as still as a statue as he stared through the archway, eyes bleeding red as he focused.

Sasuke had just put a rather large bite of omelette in his mouth when he noticed Naruto's strange behaviour. With his mouth full, he turned to follow Naruto's line of sight. At first, he didn't see anything, and so he turned to Naruto. Any muffled words were halted when he noticed the way the blond was baring his teeth, canines growing sharper and the scars on his cheeks stretching and darkening. Sasuke's cheeks bulged as he stopped chewing and instead just stared. Then he turned back to the archway, his eyes spinning into the Sharingan as he tried to spot what was aggravating not only Naruto, but the Kyuubi as well.

When his eyes stilled and the area became clear, he gave an involuntary gasp and half of his food lodged into his throat. He gagged, a hand coming up to his throat while the other started to hit at his chest in a vain attempt to dislodge the food.

"Sasuke-kun!"

Sakura's surprised yell alerted everyone else, and Kakashi's chair toppled over as he jumped out of his seat and ran to the other end of the table. Sakura had already wrapped her arms around Sasuke's middle, performing the same technique she had on Naruto only moments earlier. Sasuke's eyes bulged slightly before he coughed, bits of chewed omelette falling to the floor. No one bothered to be grossed out, as the moment his throat was clear, Sasuke began pointing rather frantically at the archway.

"P-" he coughed, gagging slightly before continuing, "Poltergeists! All of them!" he forced out, eyes watering due to his lack of air.

Kakashi blinked, turning to Naruto to ask if he knew what Sasuke meant. He finally noticed that the blond hadn't moved an inch, still staring at the doorway intensely while baring his sharpened teeth and growling under his breath. Kakashi turned to the archway, pushing his hair aside and activating his Sharingan.

"What the…" he gasped.

He could see the barrier that they had set up around the room earlier. It looked like a shimmering wave over the arch…and just beyond it…

"All five poltergeists are there?" he said in shock, unable to believe it. But they were there, hovering around the hallway as if waiting for them.

"What the hell is going on here?"

"Kakashi, we need to get rid of them now while we have the chance," Yahiko stated, calmly walking towards the archway and staring at the spirits as they began to materialize.

"Have you ever exorcised five at once?" Kakashi asked blankly, crossing his arms. Yahiko just shrugged.

"Always a first time for everything," he replied. Kakashi sighed, rubbing his temple before nodding.

"Alright, but I only want the most experienced on this. We'll create a path out of the house for the others," he ordered, starting to gather those that would stay and those that would leave. Sasuke found himself and Naruto in the group that was being sent out, and he turned to Kakashi questionably.

"Why can't I stay and help?" he asked. Kakashi smiled, patting his head and ignoring the warning growl.

"You haven't had enough practice in exorcising spirits to take on this sort of task. You're still learning to control your Sharingan, so for now leave it to those of us who have done this before!" he said. "Besides, I'll be trusting you and Kiba to guard the rest...and Naruto too," he added.

Sasuke sighed, nodding.

A pathway to the back garden was quickly arranged after Sasori set up several seals leading to the door. He kept a close eye on those that were walking through it. Sasuke took the lead with Naruto behind him, followed by Sakura, Ino, Tenten, Shikamaru and Chouji and finally Shino and Kiba, who brought up the rear. Kiba was very unhappy about leaving Hinata there, but she was from a trained psychic family...plus she had Neji to help her. Kiba had been sent out because even though he was a specialist in animal spirits, he wasn't a psychic with actual fighting abilities.

"Stupid abilities."

His grumbles could be heard all the way to the front of the line and Sasuke smirked he pushed open the door and led them all out. They had been instructed to wait in the garden, and keep an eye out for anything strange while the others took care of the poltergeists inside.

"Are they going to be okay?" Naruto asked, rubbing his stomach distractedly as he stared back up at the large mansion hotel. Sasuke placed a comforting hand on his shoulder before sliding it down to take Naruto's hand, pulling it away from his stomach.

"They'll be fine. There are more of them than the poltergeists, and they're all strong on their own. Together, they'll be fine," he assured, running this thumb over Naruto's knuckles comfortingly.

Naruto nodded, smiling slightly. He noticed Sakura watching them, her eyes on their joined hands. When she looked up and realized she'd been caught staring, she quickly turned away. Naruto just raised a brow but didn't say anything. He wasn't entirely sure what to make of Sakura. Sometimes she was nice, other times she was still a bit hostile.

The small group stood around, listening for any sounds of chaos from inside the hotel. The day was quite peaceful considering the situation, though there was still no sign of any birds or forest critters. Shikamaru had promptly declared that the others could take care of themselves, and he lay down for a nap. Ino had spent a few minutes trying to scold him, but eventually she gave up and lay down with her head on his stomach and told him he would be her pillow as punishment. Chouji sat next to them, shaking his head as they bickered softly. Sakura sat with Tenten and Shino, conversing softly with the girl while the coated boy just stayed quiet.

Kiba was sitting closest to the door they had left through, obviously making sure he could rush back inside at a moment's notice. Sasuke and Naruto were between him and the rest of the group, their backs to the forest.

Time ticked by with no sounds from the others that indicated they were in trouble, and soon enough Chouji and Ino were fast asleep with Shikamaru. Shino had also slumped over somewhat, and Tenten and Sakura were talking less and less until they too lay down, closing their eyes and falling asleep.

Naruto was thinking about various things, ranging from the poltergeists, how Jiraiya was doing back home, and even to the earlier days when he was in the orphanage still. He was in the middle of a vivid memory of him and the twins getting into a rather vicious paint war (they had been painting the house, but ending up painting each other instead) when something thumped next to him. Jerking out of his thoughts, he realized that Sasuke had fallen asleep on his shoulder. He blinked and smiled, petting the raven's cheek.

"Hm, he didn't look tired at all earlier," he mumbled. "Hey Kiba, check out sleeping beauty...over...here..." he trailed off, staring at Kiba's slumped form on the floor. The brunet was snoring away, lying half on his back and half on his side.

Naruto slowly looked around, realizing that he was the only one still awake. Everyone else was fast asleep, sprawled on the ground.

"What the hell?" he mumbled, slowly easing Sasuke down. He made sure the raven was comfortable before standing and looking around.

'_I can understand Shikamaru, and even Tenten and Chouji...but none of the others looked remotely tired earlier! And surely they couldn't have become so relaxed given the situation?_' he wondered, brows furrowing down.

A giggle made him freeze, his heart picking up the pace. Slowly, he turned his head to the side, his breath catching when he saw a small, transparent child standing at the edge of the forest. It was a girl wearing a floral dress and sandals. She looked about ten or so, and she was smiling cheekily at him.

He knew without a shadow of a doubt that this girl was a ghost, and the panic was beginning to seep in when he noticed something. In her hand, she was holding a bag filled with sand. As he continued to stare, he saw that the same sand was floating in the air over the group, clinging to the skin of everyone who was asleep.

"Wait a...it's your fault?" he spun around in time to see the girl throw a handful of the sand towards Sasuke. "Hey!" he jumped in the way, gasping when the sand burst into flames just before it touched his skin. The giggling stopped, the girl staring at him blankly. Somehow, it made her scarier. He swallowed thickly and attempted to glare. "Let them go right now!" he demanded, motioning to everyone.

The ghost blinked slowly, still blank faced. Then she smirked, jiggling the bag before her image flickered and she reappeared several feet backwards, deeper into the forest.

"Hey! Let them go, I said!" Naruto yelled, stepping forwards. The ghost giggled again, giving him a cheeky smirk and making a 'come get me' motion with her finger before she turned, flickering several more feet away. Naruto took a second to hesitate, but he knew that he wouldn't be able to set the others free from whatever had put them to sleep unless he caught this ghost.

'_How the hell do I catch a ghost? Kyuubi, you'd better help me!_' he thought frantically, and warmth tingled through his body as if the demon inside of him was replying with a small 'very well'.

Taking a gulp of air, he started to run after the ghost girl. She continued to flicker away, vanishing from sight before reappearing beyond a few bushes. Giggles continued to float into his ears, and ever hair on his body was standing up as cold shivers ran down his spine.

He was chasing a ghost. The sheer idiocy of this whole situation wasn't lost to him, but he didn't know how else he was going to help the others. He couldn't go back inside, because there was no guarantee the pathway was safe again, and he could end up messing their exorcism up if he burst in and broke the mantra or whatever they were doing. It was obvious that whatever that ghost had been doing to the others didn't work on him because of Kyuubi, which automatically put him in a safe area, at least in front of this ghost.

"You little...get back here!" he called, pushing through some low hanging branches. His foot caught on something and he let out a yell as fell forwards. His arms came up to block his face, and he landed painfully on sticks and stones. Groaning, he pushed himself to his knees, shaking his head. He heard the giggling again and looked up.

The girl was right in front of him, her legs inches away from his nose. He let out a yell, shoving himself backwards and landing harshly on his tailbone. His eyes were wide as he got a clear view of things.

The girl was looming over him, a sinister grin on her face. A few feet behind her was a boy with dirty brown hair and torn clothing. He was leering at him, black blood dripping down from his nose. To the right was another girl, her long hair in plaits over her chest. The same black blood was oozing from what appeared to be a bite wound in her neck.

More giggles sounded, and more ghost children appeared, each more gruesome and frightening than the last. Naruto was panting harshly, scurrying backwards until his back hit against a trunk of a tree. He looked behind him, seeing more ghosts advancing. They were all children, giggling and smiling at him as they edged closer. Several of them flickered occasionally, vanishing before reappearing like some bad film reel.

"Oh shit...shit..." Naruto squeaked, his skin pale. His heart was trying to escape from his chest and run away, but to no avail. He pressed himself back against the tree trunk, unable to do more than squeak as they continued to surround him.

"S...S...Sasuke..." he whimpered, looking left and right for a way out. The air was getting colder, his shallow breaths coming out in smoky puffs. A crackling sound could be heard as the dead leaves on the floor curled up, icing over with a thin layer of frost as more and more ghost children encased the area.

The laughter increased, escalating from mere giggling to childish and wicked cackles. The girl in front of him dropped the bag she had been holding, the glittering sand turning into black blood that oozed over the forest floor. Naruto was hyperventilating by this point, his eyes dry and wide. The girl took a teetering step forward seconds before a sickening crunch was heard, and both of her ankles snapped. She fell forward, head landing inches from Naruto's feet, and he sucked in a harsh breath that never came out again. The ghost girl looked up, her face smeared with black blood, yet she continued to grin at him and laugh. Her arm reached out, cuts rapidly appearing along her pale skin and splattering over the ground and then Naruto's legs as she stretched towards him. Two tears ran down his cheeks, the overwhelming terror he felt rendering him cold and speechless. He couldn't even feel Kyuubi's warmth inside of him, as if the demon had been snuffed out. He was completely alone.

The hand continued to reach him, and the forest area was blocked from sight by dozens of bodies as the children formed a tight circle around him, hands reaching for him. His heart skipped a beat, and as the dead hands grabbed him, he let out his earlier breath in an earth shattering scream.

* * *

Kakashi wiped his brow, staring at the spot that the poltergeists had been a moment ago. They had managed to exorcise two before the remaining three suddenly vanished. Exorcising the first two had taken longer than they hoped, but they had managed to hold themselves up. Sasori was tired from using his spirit strings to try and snatch every projectile thrown at them out of the air. Deidara had also been running around, throwing seal after seal down to protect the ones doing the exorcism. Neji and Hinata had managed to deflect a vicious attack aimed at Kakashi, but it took both of their efforts and left them tired. Lee had tried cleansing the room and the hallway, but due to the overwhelming amount of spiritual energy from all the poltergeists being there at once, he was only able to stun them somewhat. Still, it created a small opening and allowed them to gain some headway.

But then, out of the blue, the remaining poltergeists vanished. Just like that, no warning, no grand finale. They just...disappeared.

And it was worrying.

"Something's not right," Kakashi murmured, cupping his chin.

"Was it just me, or did all that feel like," Deidara fished around for the right word.

"A distraction?" Tobi offered, kicking his legs from his spot on the table. Unlike the others, he was perfectly fine even though he had been directly attacked by one poltergeist. "It's almost like they wanted us to stay here while the others got out," he finished.

Kakashi's eyes widened and he spun around, almost knocking over a chair as he rushed towards the door. Hinata and Neji were right on his tail, with Lee following close behind. They raced down the hall, their steps thudding loudly in their ears before Kakashi slammed through the back door.

They stopped dead at the sight of everyone fast asleep, but the air was freezing cold.

"Shit! Sasuke!"

"Kiba!"

Hinata rushed to Kiba's side, kneeling down and shaking his shoulders. Kakashi almost barrel rolled over to Sasuke, pulling him up and looking for injuries. But he was fine aside from the obvious fact that he was quite chilly and fast asleep. He was even drooling.

"Sasuke! Wake up!" Kakashi said loudly, shaking him roughly. It took several goes, but eventually Sasuke's eyelids fluttered and he groaned. Kiba was almost waking up after Hinata started to smack his head repeatedly. Neji was by Shikamaru and the others, coaxing them awake while Lee did the same for Sakura and her little group.

"Nng...Huh?" Sasuke groaned, blinking his eyes open. He reached a hand up, wiping at his eyes and flinching when it felt like sand was rubbing against his skin. "What..? Kakashi?" he asked blearily, looking at the silver haired man in confusion. "What's wrong? Did you get the poltergeists?"

"Somewhat yeah," Kakashi said looking around. He took note of everyone around them, glad that they all seemed to be fine and waking up. But then his stomach dropped.

"Sasuke...Sasuke, where is Naruto?" he asked, dread growing in his chest.

Sasuke blinked slowly, trying to clear his head. It felt like he was waking up from a really long nap, and his head was fuzzy. The words slowly slunk into his mind, and he looked around. As seconds dripped by, he grew more and more alert, his heart starting to thump painfully when he couldn't locate his blond.

"He...He...I..." he stammered, starting to twist around. "N..Naruto? Naruto! Oi, NARUTO!" he turned around on his hands and knees, crawling forward a bit as he looked around frantically. "NARUTO! WHERE ARE YOU?"

"He's gone?" Kiba asked, his voice groggy but worried as he shook his head. "What happened to us?"

Kakashi activated his Sharingan, scanning his eye over them. He could see a faint trace of dark red spiritual energy. It was almost black, and it looked to be covering them all in a faint, grainy style...like sand.

"NARUTO!"

Sasuke was definitely starting to panic. How could he not? He didn't even remember falling asleep! He'd been sitting there, listening to Ino and Shikamaru bicker, and holding Naruto's hand. And then he was being shaken awake by Kakashi and Naruto was nowhere in sight.

"Sasuke, try to keep calm!" Kakashi ordered, grabbing the raven's shoulder and pulling him back. "We'll find him!"

"We have to hurry!"

"I know Sasuke, please try to relax!"

"But—"

"Hold up!"

Kiba's shout made them turn to him. He was climbing to his feet, stumbling before Hinata steadied him. She looked worried, but didn't try to stop him as he started to walk towards the forest. They could hear him sniffing deeply.

"I can smell him, but it's faint. Which means that he didn't vanish too long ago...he might just be a ways into the forest," he said, wiping at his eyes to rid them of the strange, grainy feeling they had. Sasuke got to his feet, his head still spinning and slightly fuzzy. Whatever put him to sleep had wanted him to stay that way for a lot longer.

"Let's go!" he said, taking an unsteady step forward. He forced himself not to fall, thinking solely of finding Naruto. His gut was twisting horribly, and a heavy weight of fear was settling in his chest. He reached the trees, almost tripping, but Kakashi caught him. With the older man's hand on his shoulder to steady him, they began to walk into the forest with Kiba and Hinata. Hinata had activated her Byakugan, searching for clues. She spotted a trail of Naruto's spiritual energy, and pointed it out. It led through the forest, deeper and deeper until finally they reached the spot where the trail ended.

Hinata put a hand over her mouth, her eyes starting to water. The others did not take this well, rounding on her.

"What is it? What's wrong Hinata?" Kakashi asked, not liking the situation at all. To him, the forest looked okay. He could make out footprints that were definitely Naruto's in the sand and mud, but he couldn't see any blood or sign of a struggle.

"...Black...black spiritual energy," Hinata began, taking a shuddering breath. For her, the forest did not look peaceful at all. She could see the thick coating of bloody energy, dripping off the leaves and smeared over the ground. In her head, she could hear the distant echoes of childish laughter, coming from the energy smeared over the ground. "It's everywhere...Oh G-God, it looks like a c-crime scene!" she said, turning her head into Kiba's chest. The brunet was pale, his eyes staring blankly as his mind conjured up various scenarios of what could have happened.

Sasuke stood in the middle, breathing heavily as he looked around. He spotted something at the trunk of a nearby tree, and slowly he knelt down before it.

It was a marble, small and clear with a purple centre. He vaguely recalled Naruto showing it to him last night before they went to sleep, and then this morning slipping it into his pocket.

"He was right here," he breathed, eyes glossing over as he stared at the tree trunk. His heart thudded against his chest harshly as he sucked in a deep breath, closing his eyes.

"Sasuke...We'll—" Kakashi stopped dead when Sasuke opened his eyes, the red Sharingan swirling violently before the three commas spread out, and instinctively he knew that this was Sasuke having a vision.

* * *

Sasuke stared ahead, unflinching as the area around him flickered and stretched, going between black and white to fuzzy and washed out. He waited, watching as the sunlight changed, going backwards a bit and the colours became very faded, as if the paint had begun to wash out.

He found himself standing a few paces away from the trunk that he'd found the marble at, and he waited. Soon he heard a giggling sound, and turned to see a girl running towards him. She was transparent and flickering; a ghost. In her hands she held a bag of glittering sand.

"_You little...get back here!_"

He turned sharply, seeing Naruto running after the ghost.

"No...No dobe, why? Why did you chase her?" he moaned, placing a hand over his heart. He winced when he saw Naruto trip, crashing to the floor with a yelp. He took a step forward, gritting his teeth in anger when the ghost girl appeared in front of Naruto. He could only watch helplessly as Naruto backed away, fear evident on his face. Sasuke's shoulders were shaking as he watched his dobe get surrounded by children ghosts, the fear on his face causing him physical pain as he could do nothing but watch the events unfold.

"_Oh shit...Shit...!_"

Sasuke bit his lip harshly, turning away. He didn't know if he could watch this. But a voice in his head reminded him that he was the only one who would be able to really see what happened to Naruto. And so, with a heavy heart and watery eyes, he forced himself to watch as Naruto trembled and cried against the trunk of the tree.

"_S...S...Sasuke..."_

"Naruto, I'll find you!" he said, unable to stand the whimper. He walked forwards, moving right through the circle of disfigured children. He knelt down in front of Naruto, wishing more than anything that the blond would know he was there. He raised a hand, placing it on Naruto's cheek...well, attempting to. His hand ended up sinking right through Naruto's skin as the blond continued to hyperventilate. Sasuke felt a tear leak down his cheek as he moved back, knowing he could do nothing there.

Naruto's scream made his heart stop, and he almost covered his ears to block it out. But then he saw it.

A dark shadow seeping out of the tree that Naruto was trapped against. It had no feature, instead simply taking the shape of a spindly, wretched looking man. Long arms and pointed fingers reached down, curling around Naruto's face even as he screamed. They covered his mouth, muffling the scream, and Sasuke gasped as he saw Naruto being dragged backwards. His back was sinking into the shadow as if it were tar, sucking him in. Sasuke stood there in horror, watching as slowly Naruto vanished, sucked into the dark shadow that was dragging him in. The children ghosts around them walked closer, their grungy hands grabbing onto Naruto and...

'_What the...? Are they...trying to pull him out? But why? Aren't they helping that shadow thing?_' he thought, watching as more of the ghost children grabbed onto Naruto's legs and pulled. They were groaning and screaming in protest, and Sasuke shuddered when the shadow suddenly stretched outwards, as if exploding from within, and engulfed half the children. The rest flickered violently before vanishing, echoing screams lingering in the air. Sasuke jerked as the world around him seemed to flicker, and he knew his vision was coming to an end. He strained himself to keep an eye on the place where Naruto was vanishing even as the vision began to collapse.

Right before the world went black he saw an orange spark fall out of the shadow, landing on the ground and glowing brightly before dying down to reveal the little marble from Naruto's pocket.

* * *

When Sasuke returned to the world of the present, he promptly fell over. If Kakashi hadn't been waiting behind him, he would have hit his head on a rock. As much as the silver-haired man wanted to question him, it was obvious that whatever Sasuke saw had shaken him up. It made Kakashi's gut clench in fear for Naruto, but if Sasuke wasn't sobbing or going into shock, he could at least assume the blond wasn't killed...yet...

Eventually, when it looked like Sasuke wasn't about to puke everything in his stomach onto the ground, Kakashi led him and the others back inside the hotel. When everyone had gathered around the table and been filled in on what happened outside, Kakashi decided he could ask Sasuke about his vision.

"Sasuke, I know this might be hard, but you have to tell us everything you saw. Even the insignificant things; you never know what might be vital," he coaxed, rubbing Sasuke's back comfortingly. The young Uchiha was pale, his fist clenching around the little marble he had found. It was warm in his palm, but he didn't know if it was from holding it, or from that lingering essence of Kyuubi's spiritual energy.

Sasuke swallowed and took a deep, shuddering breath. Everyone was listening intently, wanting to catch every word. He was somewhat surprised that no one was asking about his vision. He knew the adults knew about his Sharingan, but people like Sakura and Ino, and the technical crews...they didn't know. And yet no one was raising an eyebrow or asking him anything. They were just leaning in and waiting for him to speak.

'_We really do have an amazing group of people, I guess..._' he thought, closing his eyes briefly. He squeezed the marble in his hand before looking up and beginning to speak.

Throughout his recollection, not a sound was made. There were definitely reactions to certain things, but no one spoke. Deidara covered his mouth when he got to the point of Naruto being surrounded, and Sakura was pale and wide eyed as he described the children. Shikamaru's brows had been furrowed since he said that Naruto hadn't been affected by the strange sand that put them to sleep, but they shot up in surprise when he began to describe the way the children had seemed to be pulling Naruto out of the shadow.

Kakashi sat still as Sasuke finished, his head resting on his hands. Yahiko was looking at the table, but it was obvious that he was deep in thought. Deidara looked ready to start panicking, but before he could do more than draw in a breath, Sasori absently started rubbing his arm. The red head wasn't even focusing on him, instead looking out the window in thought. When he did realize what he was doing, he just firmly stared at the table and refused to acknowledge the fact that his hand hadn't stopped and his face was red.

"Well, that sounds bad," Tobi spoke up after a few moments of silence. Heads turned to him, and he shrugged. "You were all thinking it! Tobi just said it out loud!"

"Tobi," Deidara said, his tone scolding. The mask-wearing psychic just shrugged and made a zipping motion across his mouth. Deidara rolled his eyes and turned back to Sasuke. "Don't worry un. By the sound of it, Naruto-kun was only transported!"

"Yes, indeed," Yahiko said, standing up. He walked over to the window, his hands linking behind his back. "That shadow didn't kill him, it took him instead. Also...it's not an ordinary ghost. For something to have enough power to transport a human being from one place to another while they're conscious?" he turned around to the others, fixing them with a serious stare. "What we're dealing with is something that is only a few levels below a demon."

Kakashi sighed heavily, rubbing his temple as he stood up. "Alright. We're going to have to plan very carefully form this point on. There are still three poltergeists in this place, plus a seemingly large number of Maigo's. And to top it off, we've got this shadow monster. No one is to be on their own, nor without some form of protection. Deidara, Lee, I want you both to upgrade all the protection seals. Make one for everyone, including Naruto. He'll need them when we find him."

"If we find him," Yahiko interrupted. There was silence as the members turned to him, some in shock, some in confusion and some in anger.

"What did you just say?" Kiba growled, fist clenching tightly on the back of his chair. "What the hell do you mean _if_?"

"We have no idea where Uzumaki was taken, nor do we have any idea how to find him. We've scoured this hotel already and found no trace of a secret entrance to a secret area, which means that wherever the monster has taken him, it's somewhere that we have yet to even think about the location of. Besides, we don't know what it wants with him. It may be wisest to assume he is already dead and leave him—"

Yahiko let out a grunt as something slammed into him at full force, knocking him to the ground. He coughed, trying to get some air back into his body after slamming on his back, but before he could a fist collided against the side of his face.

"Sasuke!"

"Sasuke-kun!"

Even though they yelled his name, neither Kakashi nor Sakura attempted to stop the raven as he landed another solid hit right on Yahiko's nose. The rage was practically radiating from the young Uchiha as he fisted the front of Yahiko's shirt, pulling him up and glaring at him. His eyes had bled red in anger, the Sharingan swirling violently.

"How dare you...How fucking DARE you even _suggest_ we leave him behind! I will never..." he was trembling with anger, memories of the dark sewers and the horrors of facing Orochimaru flashing through his mind. He remembered being locked in his own mind, watching as his body was used to beat and attack the one he loved the most.

"I will never..."

Everyone was watching with wide eyes and baited breath as the shaking raven let go of Yahiko's shirt. He was trembling, his voice shuddering. Yahiko stared up at the boy, shock on his face. He had never expected this reaction.

"Even when I...was so far gone..." Sasuke said, his hair hanging low over his eyes as his head was bowed. "Even when it looked like there was no hope left for me...Naruto didn't give up."

Yahiko blinked when something wet landed on his cheek. He reached up to wipe it away, shocked to see a tear. When he looked forward again, he was faced with a teary eyed raven glaring at him through wide, sincerely angry black eyes.

"Even when I was possessed by a goddamn snake demon and used to hurt the people I care the most about, Naruto didn't stop believing in me! Even when I set a horde of fucking ghouls on him, he kept calling out to me, he kept searching for me...Even though he's a stupid, chicken shit who's dead scared of ghosts and the paranormal, he still put himself in the way of harm for my sake...He jumped in front of a demon for me, he was worried for me after my first vision..."

Memories of the Contract Demon case, and the Kagome case were flashing through his head. Naruto screaming and jumping on him after seeing a ghost, and then his worried face as he heard about Sasuke's fall into the pond. The way he had pulled him away from the demon trying to claim his soul...

"He even went against orders from both Kakashi and his caretaker, and came to help me in the haunted orphanage that we met...Naruto has never, ever given up on me, or stopped believing in me! Even when I kept secrets, or acted like an ass, he was there and he loved me!" Sasuke grabbed Yahiko again, yelling in his face. "So I don't give a shit about how much experience you have, or how logical your ideas are, or even how tragic your fucking past is! I am not giving up on him. I will never give up on him! I am going to find Naruto with or without your help, you self-righteous son of a bitch! So you can either say something useful, or you can pack your shit and leave!"

Sasuke let go of Yahiko's shirt, letting him thump to the floor. He stood up, stepping off of the orange haired man. With a sniff, he wiped his eyes and took a breath before turning to the others.

"Anyone else got something to say?" he challenged, glaring at them all.

Everyone stared at him in silence before a chair scraped. Sasuke turned to look at Kiba as the brunet walked towards him. Their eyes clashed, glare meeting stare. Then Kiba held up a fist.

"Let's stop stalling and go find our Chicken Shit, eh?" he said, lips curving into a confident grin.

Sasuke blinked before smirking, lifting his own fist and lightly knocking it against Kiba's.

"Hn..."

"Me too!"

The two boys turned to Hinata as she stood up, a smile on her face.

"We'll d-definitely find Naruto-kun!" she said firmly. Kiba grinned and Sasuke nodded.

Neji sighed, pushing himself up and crossing his arms. "I can't very well let Hinata go on her own. Not to mention that Gaara will put my guts on a silver platter and make me eat them if I even think about leaving his childhood friend behind," he said and smirked. "I'm in."

"Me too! We shall definitely find Naruto-kun with our youthful efforts!" Lee declared, holding up a fist. Kiba snickered at him while Neji sighed, looking annoyed, but the smile he gained afterwards betrayed it.

"Troublesome."

They turned to Shikamaru as he got to his feet, fixing them with a raised brow. "You guys will be pretty useless on your own," he said. Kiba scowled, but Shikamaru spoke before he could say anything. "Guess I've got no choice to but help you doddering idiots along. You'll need someone to show you how to work the equipment, plus organize your plans."

"I may not be a psychic or a technician, but I'm good for heavy lifting," Chouji smiled. "If I can help at all, just say the word!"

"Me too!" Tenten jumped up, arms waving around. "I'm a technician, and Shikamaru can't operate everything on his own!"

"It will be hard even with the two of you," Shino interrupted, moving to stand beside her. "Which is why I have no choice but to assist as well. The equipment is expensive, after all."

"Shino," Kiba began, a smile stretching over his face. Sasuke nodded to the group before turning and looking at Sakura and Ino.

Ino gave him a confident smirk. "Psychic or not, I'll definitely help you guys! I have a good eye for detail, so if we're looking for a secret door or something, I'm definitely going to help!"

Sasuke nodded at her in thanks before turning to Sakura. The two stared at each other for a long moment, before Sakura closed her eyes.

"...Naruto will probably be injured by the time you find him," she said softly. Sasuke narrowed his eyes, but Sakura stood up and gave him a smile. "So I'll be ready with a medical kit and my knowledge as a nurse to fix him up!"

Sasuke blinked, surprised, before a slow smile spread over his face. He placed a hand on her shoulder, fixing her with a sincere gaze.

"Thank you, Sakura."

Sakura smiled, her eyes a little watery, but she was firm.

"All you kids are so cool, un!" Deidara said, running up to them and wrapping his arms around Sasuke and Kiba. "But you're still kids, un! So an adult is definitely going to have to supervise you!" he said proudly.

"If that's your case, then I'd better step up to be the adult, since you're definitely in the kid category," Sasori smirked at the pout he received. Then he tried to run when Deidara laughed and tackled him in a hug.

"Thanks Danna!"

"Get off!"

"Tobi can join too right?"

"Sure, un!"

"YAY!"

"NO GROUP HUGS! DAMMIT, TOBI, DEIDARA GET THE HELL OFF OF ME!"

Kakashi smiled as his employees all grouped together. Sasuke, Sasori and Neji could be seen trying to escape from the massive group hug, but they were firmly held in place. Shikamaru looked annoyed, but Ino had a firm arm around him and Chouji, and the looks she gave them promised both of them a painful beating if they tried to escape.

Kakashi turned to the last person left out, and he placed his hands in his pockets as he knelt down beside a stunned Yahiko.

"You see Yahiko? Even though my team isn't filled with the most experienced of people," he said softly, motioning to the group that was looking dangerously overbalanced by now. "I wouldn't replace a single one of them for the best psychic in the world. They have something that many psychics lack...passion, loyalty and a strong will to never give up."

Yahiko blinked slowly before turning to Kakashi.

"How? How can they all behave like this, even though they have seen the darker sides of the world?" he asked, his voice smothered in confusion. He couldn't understand how these kids could be so happy, and so strong despite everything they've gone through.

Kakashi grinned. "Well, there are many reasons. They're all strong people who have their own reasons and motivation for staying and going on. But I'll tell you one thing," he leant close, keeping firm eye contact with Yahiko while he whispered. "They were never this close, and this strong, until after the case that they met Naruto. That boy has changed many of them, whether directly or not...You misjudged him, Yahiko."

Kakashi stood up and offered a hand to his old school friend. Yahiko took it, allowing the other man to haul him to his feet. Kakashi gripped his hand tightly, staring him in the eye.

"Naruto may house the Kyuubi, but he is one of the kindest, most pure-hearted people you may ever meet. He's not just a missing person...he's a member of our family, and so we will not be going anywhere until we have him safe and sound with us," he said, and let go of Yahiko's hand. He left the man standing by the window, staring into space, and made his way to the large group which he pounced upon with a cry of 'dog pile!' sending them all to the floor in a painful heap of limbs and muffled curses.

"Alright everyone, get up and let's start moving! We've got work to do!"

* * *

**Aw... How cliche was that last bit? =_= oh well...it's INSPIRING! XD ... (._.) If you guys think it sucks, let me know and I'll see if I can change it.**

**Anyway, aside from that, I hope you enjoyed it~! I'll work hard on the next chapter while I'm still all juiced up for writing!**

**Please leave a review with your thoughts(and feedback)~ ^.^ Thank you~!  
**


	25. Bonus Chapter Part 4: The End of it All

**(-_-) Ahaha, I got enthusiastic and wrote a ton...but I can't bring myself to shorten it! XD So deal with the insanely long finale chapter! (Isn't it a good thing though?)**

**But with this chapter, Rei-Senzai 2 is OFFICIALLY over now. :'D I'd forgotten how fun writing in this verse was! Plus, with the enthusiastic encouragement I've gotten from someone*coughgarycough* I'm thinking that a RS-3 might be a possibility...though, not right away since I still have several other projects to finish and post. But the thought is there!**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and I hope you have enjoyed the Rei-Senzai verse as much as I have! Thank you for all the support, reviews, praise and constructive criticism and all around sticking with me as I wrote this (often taking far too long to update, my sweeties)! I wouldn't have been able to do it without you guys!**

**Warnings: language, violence and horror, gore, death(FUAHAHAHA) ect, ect. (And yaoi... :3)**

**Disclaimer: The Naruto characters are not mine. I do, however, own most of the Rei-Senzai universe and plot! :D**

* * *

The air was freezing cold, yet stale and stuffy at the same time. The scent of blood was thick in the air, both old and new. A soft tapping sound could be heard every few seconds, indicating that something was dripping consistently. Aside from that, there was not a single sound to fill the chamber.

Naruto breathed slowly, in and out. His eyelids fluttered as he was pulled from his slumber. He gritted his teeth, huffing out a breath that appeared as a misty cloud in front of him before slowly fading in the air. Slowly, he opened his eyes, fighting an intense wave of nausea as he did so.

Pain was riding up his arms and shoulders, and he tried to shift to get rid of it. A low hiss issued from his mouth as his arms jerked, and he turned his head as much as he could. It was very dark, wherever he was, but faintly he could make out the outlines of his hands...and the two iron locks keeping him chained to the wall. His eyes widened, grogginess fading fast as the panic set in. He jerked his arms, trying to get them free, but it only resulted in more pain and a confirmation that the bars would not be breaking under his efforts any time soon.

"Oh God...Shit..." he breathed, turning his head and trying to see where exactly he was. The only light came from a faintly glowing outline of what looked like the door to this room. It was barely enough to let him see anything, but he could make out distant outlines and mangled shapes. As his eyes adjusted the best they could, his heart began to beat violently and his breaths became shorter and sharper.

Opposite him was what looked to be a tall shelf; although in this lighting he was unable to tell what was stored on it. To the far wall was some kind of container, roughly the size of a bathtub and filled with something dark. The stench of blood was strongest in that direction. A little further from that was a dark, gaping hole...like an alcove, or a fireplace of some kind. He looked left, seeing another dark shape strapped to the wall beside him, two chain locks away. He tried not to panic, but it was too late; he could easily see the shape of a human skeleton in that blackness.

"No...No no no," he moaned softly, looking away and tugging on his arms again. They were pulled up and backwards, putting strain on his shoulders. He clenched his jaw and tried to move his feet. He whimpered softly when he discovered that his feet had been strapped to the wall too, rendering him immobile and unable to do anything to remedy that fact.

He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to force himself not to break down and panic. It was hard, but he managed to shove back the tears and the hysterical screams that itched at the back of his throat. He had a feeling that screaming now wouldn't help him; it would probably do the opposite.

'_Okay think...How did I end up here in the first place?_' he thought, trying to recall what had happened before he woke up in this dark and obviously dangerous room. He remembered sitting at the breakfast table, eating with everyone. Then the poltergeists showed up, and they were sent outside...

'_And then...then...Everyone fell asleep! Yes, there was that little girl, and she made everyone sleep! So I ran after her and...and..._' his eyes opened wide as he began to pant, memories of the dark shadow flooding his mind. He recalled the cold hands grabbing him, the feeling of utter despair as he was pulled backwards into a thick, gooey black substance that began to suck him into it the moment his skin made contact. He remembered screaming for help with all his might, but he was unable to be heard. He had been completely surrounded and then he was...

'_Am...Am I dead? Is this h-hell?_' he thought in horror, looking around again and whimpering. '_Sasuke! Where are you?_'

* * *

Sasuke placed a hand over his heart when it throbbed, and he bit his lower lip.

"Are you okay?" Ino asked him, sparing him a worried glance. He nodded, letting his hand fall and turning back to the wall they were inspecting. Ino smiled sympathetically at him, aware that he was still extremely worried, but she went back to searching without saying a thing.

Sasuke ran his hands over the wallpaper, tapping every few times. They were looking for any secret entrance at all, since it was their best lead to where Naruto could have been taken. They had already searched all the rooms in the hotel, and not a single trace of him was found. Sasuke had stayed on the ground floor, looking for any kind of entrance to an underground maze.

"Dammit, where is it?" he muttered angrily, slamming his fist into the wall. Ino jumped at the action, but quickly calmed down. She placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder.

"Sasuke, we'll find him! We just have to look carefully, and if we don't find anything on the first run, we do it again! Sometimes we miss things the first time because we don't realize what we're supposed to be looking for is actually right there in front of us!" she encouraged.

Sasuke sighed, running a hand over his face. He nodded, turning to her and giving her a thankful nod.

"I know I just...I need to find him soon," he said softly. Ino nodded, patting his shoulder.

"We'll find him in due time! For now, we just have to give it our all and not give up!" she said, winking before giggling. "At least, I'm pretty sure that's something he'd say right?"

Sasuke smirked and snorted. "Yeah, just add 'Believe it' to the end."

Ino laughed and resumed searching. Sasuke did the same for a moment before reaching for the little walkie-talkie he had and switching it on.

"Shikamaru, anything on the monitors?" he asked, running his hand over a painting before pushing it aside to see behind it.

"_Nothing so far. Ghostly activity is low to nonexistent pretty much everywhere in the hotel right now,_" Shikamaru answered. Sasuke groaned softly, but nodded.

"Alright. If anything, and I mean _anything_, pops up, let me know."

"Okay," Shikamaru switched off, placing the object down before cupping his chin with his hand and staring at the monitor before him. His eyes were narrowed and his brow furrowed down as he looked from one screen to the next

"Shikamaru," Chouji called, handing him a cup of coffee. Shikamaru grunted his thanks, never taking his eyes off the screen as he took a sip. He was seating in the living room, surrounded by monitors and other bits of machinery. Tenten was standing nearby, checking in with all teams and making any adjustments to their communication channels if needed. Shino was seated opposite her, a set of headphones on as he listened to recorded and recent sounds, searching for anything strange or useful.

Sakura was sitting next to Shikamaru, also watching the screens and sometimes checking a set of blueprints that they had gotten from the old hotel clerk. Chouji took a seat behind them, next to Tobi who had been assigned guard over all of them.

"...Something's bugging me," Shikamaru grumbled, eyes flitting from one monitor to another.

"What is it?" Sakura asked, looking up. Shikamaru clicked his tongue a few times, fingers interlacing. A tick was developing in his jaw; something that surprised Sakura as she had never known Shikamaru to show such an aggravated habit.

"That's the problem. I can't put my finger on it. It's a nagging feeling in my head; I feel like I'm missing something...something that should be obvious," he growled. Sakura hummed, looking back down at the blueprints. She couldn't see any place that would look like a good cover for an underground maze from there, but she wouldn't stop looking.

They had split up into teams of two to search over the house. Kakashi and Yahiko were one team, Deidara and Sasori the other, then Neji and Lee, Kiba and Hinata, and finally Sasuke and Ino. Kiba and Hinata were outside, searching the forest as well as the hotel grounds again. Deidara and Sasori were in the east wing, Neji and Lee in the west. Kakashi and Yahiko had taken the entrance, leaving Sasuke and Ino with the second floor to start on. Cameras that they had set up were giving Shikamaru a direct feed of every room in the hotel, but so far there was nothing to report.

"Dammit," the lazy boy growled, fisting his hands in his hair. He couldn't figure out what was bugging him. It's like the answer was dangling in front of him, just out of reach, and it was driving him insane. He wanted to reach out and grab it, but he didn't know what the ladder leading to it was.

Time started to seep past like syrup, but they still didn't have any leads. Sasuke and Ino had cleared the second floor, leaving it to Kakashi and Yahiko for a second look while they moved onto the third. Sasuke was forcing himself not to start panicking, knowing that if he wanted to find Naruto, he would have to keep a calm and cool head. If he panicked, it would only make it harder to find his blond.

'_Naruto, where are you?_' he thought, clenching his fist tightly. He sighed, sinking his hand into his pocket and closing it around the marble. His eyes widened. '_What the..._'

Ino heard Sasuke gasp, and she turned. A small gasp of her own escaped her as she stared at the small marble in his hand. It was glowing faintly, the slightest tinge of orange light emanating from within.

"What on Earth?" she mumbled, walking up to him. "Did you do something?"

"No, I just took it out now. It's warmer than it was before...but I haven't been holding it until now!" Sasuke said, staring down at the object in wonder. He moved his hand up, turning to the left slightly to try and see it better in the fading light. However, as he moved his hand further, the glow faded until it was back to normal. Frowning, he pulled his hand back, his eyebrows rising as the glow returned.

"What is it doing?" Ino asked, staring at the marble intently. Sasuke shrugged. He took a step to the left, back towards where they came from. Once again, the marble's glow vanished. Narrowing his eyes, he took two steps to the right, heading further down the hall.

"...Is it just me, or did it seem like it got brighter?" he asked softly. Ino made a questioning noise, and Sasuke took another step to the right. She gasped while his eyes narrowed further. The marble was definitely glowing a little bit brighter than it had been a second ago. And it was warmer too.

Sasuke walked up to Ino, feeling the warmth fade and watching the light vanish. "Ino...It seems to get brighter when I go further in," he mumbled. Ino nodded, watching as he backed up and the little marble glowed more and more with every step. She gasped suddenly, waving her hands back and forth.

"Sasuke...do you think that it's like a 'hotter, colder' sort of thing? Like, it glows brighter the closer we get to him and it fades the further away we are?" she said excitedly. Sasuke quirked a brow, working his mind through her excited babbles. When the words fell into place, his face cleared with surprise.

"It...it might be that! This was in his pocket...and in my vision, it fell out with a glow..." He held the marble up, staring at it intently. "...Is this the key to finding him?" he murmured. A tug on his arm was the only alarm he had before he was yanked down the hall, Ino's grip almost painful.

"It's the best start we have! Tell Shikamaru about it!" she said, turning her head often to view the marble with was indeed getting brighter the further into the hotel they went.

* * *

"Okay...Okay, good luck!" Shikamaru said before clicking off. He laced his fingers together, narrowing his eyes in thought. "So, Sasuke and Ino think they may have a lead on where Naruto is," he informed the gathered people.

"Really? Did they find the entrance to the underground mazes?" Sakura asked excitedly.

"No...That marble that fell out of Naruto's pocket seems to have some kind of link to his spiritual energy. Apparently it's glowing brighter the further they head upstairs. Ino thinks it might be a sign of how close they are getting to his location," Shikamaru cupped his chin. That nagging feeling was stronger than ever now, and one could easily see the frustration he was feeling. Outside, the sun was sinking behind the horizon, bathing them all in the vivid red and orange glow of sunset. Sakura fiddled with her skirt, hoping that this new discovery would lead them to Naruto quickly.

Twenty minutes passed by with no other activity from any of the teams expect for Kiba checking in that they had cleared the surrounding forest and were now searching the grounds. Shikamaru was tapping his foot impatiently.

"Shikamaru, I've got a temperature drop on the second floor!" Tenten spoke up suddenly. Shikamaru whirled his attention to the screens keeping watch on the second floor, and cursed softly when he saw one of the bedrooms cameras had gone static. He quickly did a recall of which team was on that floor before calling in.

"Kakashi, be careful! There's something on the second floor. It might be one of the remaining poltergeists," he warned.

"_Roger that. We'll go take care of it and get it out of the way,_" Kakashi replied before switching off. Shikamaru tossed the communicator down and leant back in his seat.

"Troublesome," he grumbled, rubbing his eyes.

Chouji patted his shoulder as he came over to collect the empty coffee mugs and move some things around.

A sudden static made them all jump, and Shikamaru cursed under his breath before picking up the second walkie-talkie.

"You got something Sasuke?"

Sasuke stared at the marble in his hand before looking around at the room they were in. They had followed the growing brightness up to the top floor, ending in the last room. By this point, the marble was almost blindingly bright, and it was hot. Sasuke was tossing it up and down slightly to try and stop his hand from burning. Ino was running her hands over the wall and the floor, searching for any indication of where Naruto may be.

"We've reached the last room, and the marble is at its brightest. But I don't see where there could be any entrance to any underground place here!" he said, frustration leaking into his tone while Ino slammed her fist onto the bed in aggravation. They had turned on the light since it was almost dark, but she still had her flashlight on, sweeping it over any dark shadow she saw in a vain search for something out of place.

"_What's in the room?_" Shikamaru asked from his end.

"It's like the others, just a little emptier. There's a bed, a vanity drawer...there's a huge wardrobe against the wall too...I guess it could be hiding a door, but it looks really heavy to move..."

"Oh, that room," Shikamaru said, recalling it from when he had set up cameras when they first arrived. He turned to the correct screen, spotting Ino and Sasuke standing there. He couldn't see the glow that they were talking about, but he wasn't about to question both of their sanity. "The old clerk was there with me when I was installing the cameras in that room. I asked him about the wardrobe, and he said it was quite a recent acquisition. If there was a door, they would've noticed it when they set it up there," Shikamaru sighed.

Sasuke swore, moving to the window and looking out at the garden. Distantly, he could see Kiba and Hinata inspecting the outside. His heart throbbed again and he bowed his head. He could feel it; an intense fear that belonged to Naruto. It was eating away at him, and he swore he could hear the blond crying in his head. His shoulders hunched around his ears and he covered his face with his hands. There had been such a spark of hope when they found the marble's glow, and for it to lead to such a dead end was too much of a disappointment. He knew time was running out; he knew that if they failed to find Naruto before morning, chances of him being alright when they did were lessened substantially. He couldn't believe that, only a few hours ago, he had been sitting with the blond at the breakfast table, eating and scolding him not to eat too fast. It was surreal how quickly things could go downhill, but that was how this business went...it was how a life in the paranormal went.

"Sasuke," Ino said, coming up behind him. He didn't respond, but he didn't need to. Ino could see how his shoulders were shaking, and she could hear the soft, heavily muffled whimpers. She wasn't sure how to comfort the boy. Her first instinct was to hug him, but she wasn't sure if the gesture would be as appreciated as she wanted. Sasuke wasn't a hugger with anyone but Naruto, and maybe Itachi and Kakashi.

Left with little choice, she gently placed her hand on his shoulder, squeezing to show him she was there if he needed and letting him break down a bit. Her teeth sunk into her lower lip as she looked out at the room.

'_Naruto...Please be okay!_'

* * *

The stench of blood was making him dizzy, but he tried his best to ignore it. Instead, he continued working his wrists, trying to get them to slide out of the tight chains. But they were strong and thick and tight. He could feel the cuts he was getting every time he tried to twist his hands.

He stopped, breathing heavily after all his effort, and let his head hang down. His shoulders were getting numb from being in the strained position for so long, and he knew it was going to hurt like hell come morning...if he made it that far.

He had no sense of time in this dark, cold room, but he guessed that it was night time by now. He had spent most of his time either trying to control the overwhelming fear or trying to escape. He hadn't succeeded in either task so far, and now he had to add dizziness and hyperventilation to his list of concerns.

"Sasuke," he breathed, calling the name like a prayer or a mantra. He continued to breathe slowly, calming himself by thinking of Sasuke, and reminding himself that the raven would be looking for him, and was probably worried.

"Heh...Teme," he mumbled, opening his eyes and feeling much calmer than he had a minute ago. He tensed up, preparing to try and escape again. Just as he was about to yank, he heard a noise come from the bath tub-like container to the side. He froze solid, his breath stopping in his throat. It sounded like bubbles bursting on the surface of the water, the thick 'blubs' setting a new rhythm to his heart. Slowly, he turned his head to the side, looking out into the darkness. A soft cry slipped from his throat as he saw something rising up from the mess. The smell of blood increased, washing over him and making his stomach churn dangerously. He heard it splashing onto the floor as whatever was coming from the tub continued to climb out, raspy breathing joining the spatters of liquid on tile.

Naruto turned his head away, staring down at the floor with wide eyes. His chest heaved as he took short breaths, his heart frantically drumming against his ribcage. Fear was leaking through his veins, washing out all the calm he had gained before and replacing it with sheer terror.

He heard a sickening squelch and a wave of cold washed over him, making his skin prickle and his breaths turn to thick fog before him. Wet footsteps sounded, heading in his direction, and he felt the tears escape his eyes. His entire body was shaking, and he could do nothing to stop it as the monster came towards him.

A freezing, rotten breath fanned over his face and his eyes squeezed shut, any sound catching in his throat and choking him. Something slid up the side of his cheek, leaving a cold and slimy trail behind. His head was spinning, the overwhelming fear mixed with the lack of oxygen threatening to knock him out. The cold object, which felt an awful lot like a finger, moved across his forehead before trailing down his neck and dipping into his shirt. He wanted to scream and cry, but he couldn't even breathe. He could feel something dripping down over his eyelids, and the thought that it could be blood from who knows how many people, or from how long ago, made him gag.

Another rotten breath hit his face, and he choked, his body jerking. The trailing finger vanished, and for a moment he wondered if the creature had left. But then he felt a cheek slide against his, and something licked at his jaw. Blood was smearing itself over his skin as whatever caressed him was practically painted in it.

He couldn't breathe, he couldn't see, he couldn't even tell if he was able to smell the blood or just remember it by this point. As he felt the thing trail its tongue towards his chin, bile raced up in his throat only to be swallowed back down again out of reflex. Another rotten breath hit his face before something icy cold and sickeningly wet and sludgy wormed its way into his mouth.

His eyes snapped open violently, and an involuntary scream erupted from his mouth, sounding muffled as the invading object went deeper, scratching at the back of his throat with a sharp edge. He thrashed his head, screaming again as he felt it cut his throat on the inside. Vomit raced up quickly, and a second after the invading object pulled out of his mouth, he turned his head down and threw up on the spot. It burned his throat, and he knew that he was throwing up blood as well. His head was spinning as he coughed and choked, trying to breathe. Tears ran freely down his cheeks as he felt something slide over his cheek and his ear.

He was about to scream again; scream for Sasuke, scream for help, scream for anything but he just wanted this horrific creature to leave him alone. He knew it was toying with him, playing around with its food before eating. He could almost feel the sick pleasure it was getting from watching him break down with every trailing, bloody touch.

Suddenly, there was a cry from somewhere else in the room. Naruto's breath hitched as he saw a glowing figure appear, and he realized it was one of the ghost children from before. It was a little boy, looking no older than eight, with black trails falling from two scratched out eyes. The child let out a wail that bounced off the walls, glowing brightly in the dark. Naruto could see slightly better from the new light, and for the first time since he woke up, he saw what was on the shelves opposite him.

Dozens upon dozens of skulls and bones, lined up and arranged as if on display for an art gathering. But not only were there skeletons...they were all the skeletons of children. He took a shuddering breath as he realized that this was where the bodies of the Maigos were...this was where all the children ghosts had been 'buried' when they died.

Had they all been claimed by this monster? Had they all been taken just like he was, chained to this wall and mentally and physically scarred before getting devoured by whatever hellish nightmare was living in this accursed room?

The idea seemed possible, but Naruto had no time to dwell on it when the Maigo let out another loud scream. The black shadow in front of him gave an answering, raspy roar before charging. The Maigo vanished in a burst of silvery smoke, and seconds later the shadow melted into the darkness of the room. The air warmed slightly, though it was still chilled, and Naruto knew that for the time being, he was alone without any presence, human or ghost, in the room with him.

He hung his head and started to sob.

"Sasuke...P-Please...Help me..."

* * *

Sasuke glared at everything he saw as he held the marble up, trying to find the spot in the room where it was at its brightest. His heart was beating painfully in his chest, and he had a horrible feeling weighing on his shoulders. He didn't want to think about what that feeling meant...

"Something's bugging me," Ino said suddenly. She was crouched near the large wardrobe against the wall. It was a dark cherry wood structure that reached the ceiling, with golden-handles for the two doors and curved, eagle feet at the bottom. A rose-vine design was carved into the wood of the doors, stretching over from the top to the bottom and winding around. It was a very beautiful piece of furniture.

"What's wrong?" Sasuke asked, looking over at her. She was running her fingers over the dresser, a deep frown on her face.

"Well...It's just...the old clerk said this wardrobe was a recent thing, right? As in, it was made recently for the hotel?" she asked. Sasuke thought back to when they had been told. It had been in a passing conversation when they were setting up the cameras. When they asked about the wardrobe, the old man said that it was specially made for the hotel recently, and had cost a lot of money.

"Yeah...Why?" he asked, turning fully and walking over to her. Ino bit her lip, staring at the wooden dresser intently.

"It's just...My mom used to work in an antique shop before she died, and often I would spend my afternoons there with her. I used to always examine all the antique things with my mom, and she told me how to tell if something was a real antique or not...and..." Ino placed a hand onto the dresser. "I don't know if I'm just losing my touch but...I'm certain that this wardrobe is old...very old...maybe even as old as this house," she turned to Sasuke, but he was staring at the dresser with a look of shock.

He opened his mouth, about to comment when suddenly the walkie-talkie crackled loudly.

Shikamaru was sitting in his chair, staring at the screen that Ino and Sasuke were in. He couldn't hear them talking, but he saw them hovering around the wardrobe in the room. His eyes lazily scanned over the other screens, seeing that one of them was still fuzzy. Kakashi had reported in a few seconds ago to say that the poltergeist vanished again. It would probably pop up again soon.

He sighed, brushing some hair out of his eyes. He was still plagued by the feeling that he was forgetting something very important, and though he didn't show it, he was about ready to throw himself out a window out of frustration.

A crackle alerted him to someone reporting in, and he grabbed the device without looking.

"Shikamaru here."

"_It's Kiba. We finished our first inspection of the grounds..._"

"Double check the forest...I know it's dark, but there's a chance that what we're looking for may only be approachable at a certain time," Shikamaru sighed.

"_Roger that—What?" _Kiba's voice faded, and Shikamaru could faintly hear Hinata saying something. "_Oh yeah, Hina just reminded me to ask, has anyone checked the fireplace?_"

"Fireplace?" Sakura asked, frowning. "There aren't any fireplaces in the hotel."

Shikamaru froze, his eyes wide. Like an intense flashback, he remembered when he first arrived and climbed out of the car. He had immediately given the area a once over, including the hotel. He remembered taking in the old wood, the weathered door, the surrounding forest, the shingle roof...and the single chimney in the middle, jutting out into the sky.

"Holy shit..." he breathed out, his body tensing before he sprung up in his seat, snatching up every walkie-talkie and communication object around. "Everyone, we've been wrong this whole time!" he yelled.

Throughout the mansion, the teams jumped at his yell, turning their attention towards his voice from their communicators.

"_What do you mean Shikamaru_?" Sasuke's voice asked angrily.

"We've been looking in the wrong places the whole time! There's no entrance to an underground area because there is none!"

"_Well that's not good—"_

"No! There isn't an underground area, but there is an attic area!" Shikamaru started to pace, looking flustered as everything fell into place. "There's a single chimney that you can see from outside, but there isn't a single fireplace anywhere in the hotel, we've all been in every room and never seen one! But the chimney is there, which means—"

"There's a hidden room, close to the roof!" Sakura gasped in understanding. "So then the entrance must be on the top floor!"

Sasuke stared at Ino, who stared right back. Slowly, the two of them turned towards the large wardrobe beside them.

"...It's here..." Ino breathed, placing her hands on the door handles. She tugged, trying to pull it open. "It has to be! This thing is an antique; it's been here the whole time! If there's a good place to hide a secret door, this is it!"

Sasuke joined her in tugging on the handles, grunting with the effort. After several tugs, the two of them were able to force the doors open. The handles broke, wood splintering around them, but they couldn't care. Not when they were so close to finding Naruto.

Sasuke peered into the dark space inside, seeing several coats hung up. He pulled the marble out of his pocket, hissing at how hot it was. Slowly, he held it up inside the wardrobe.

The light started to pulsate, like a beacon.

'_This is it. The entrance is here!_' he thought, a triumphant grin stretching over his face. '_Don't worry Naruto, I'm coming!_'

"Sasuke!"

Ino's shout made him jump, and the marble fell from his hand, landing in the wardrobe and rolling away. He turned around, freezing in his tracks when he realized what made Ino sound so frightened.

A gun was pointing at them, held by a gloved hand that belonged to...

"...You..." Sasuke growled, straightening and glaring at the person holding the weapon. He pulled Ino's arm, putting her slightly behind him as they stared at their captor.

"I am, truly, sorry about this," the old clerk said, smiling blankly. He took a step forward, closing the door behind him and locking it without looking. "But I'm afraid it needs to be done."

"Why are you doing this?" Ino asked, flinching when the gun shifted to her. Sasuke growled, his eyes spinning red.

"Uh uh!" A silenced shot went off, the bullet slamming into the wardrobe door beside Sasuke's face. He gaped, eyes fading back to black as the clerk took a step closer. "No using those freaky, psychic eyes on me!" he scolded.

"...Why are you doing this?" Sasuke repeated, clenching his fists tightly.

"I have to. It is my duty," the clerk said vaguely, reaching them. He shoved the gun in their faces. "No funny business," he warned before reaching over to them with his free hand. He grabbed both of their walkie-talkies, tossing them on the ground and stomping on them quickly. They were crushed under his foot, and Ino whimpered softly. They had lost any chance to call for help; the others wouldn't be able to hear them from here.

"It's a shame that you had to be so determined to find the blond," the clerk said, sounding genuinely unhappy. "He would've been enough...but unfortunately, you've seen too much and you know too much...I'll have to dispose of you two."

"The others will figure it out...they already know there's a secret room in the roof!" Sasuke countered. The clerk chuckled.

"I'm aware of that...which is why I've enlisted some...extra help to take care of them," he smiled cruelly and Sasuke felt his stomach drop as he heard something far down below, in the garden, crash. It sounded like glass breaking; a window. "Oh good, they're right on time. Poltergeists are such wonderful employees!"

"You sick bastard," Sasuke snarled only to wince when the gun was shoved into his face. Ino squeaked, grabbing his shoulders and pulling him back slightly. The clerk smirked at them, his aged face looking sinister.

"Enough dawdling. Turn around," he ordered, roughly shoving on their shoulders. They were forced to turn, and he pushed them into the wardrobe, stepping in behind them and pressing something on the side. A grinding sound was heard before the wooden panel in front of them moved aside, revealing a very narrow, very dark stairway. There was a foul smell coming from the depths of the dark, and Ino covered her nose in disgust while Sasuke cringed.

"Go on!" the clerk shoved Ino forwards, making her yelp and almost trip over her own feet if Sasuke hadn't caught her elbow. With a glare at the old man, he went first, letting Ino walk right behind him and the clerk followed along. They made their way up the narrow staircase, using their feet to find the next step rather than their eyes as there was no light.

"Keep going!" the clerk remained behind them, occasionally pushing them forward when they hesitated. The smell continued to get worse, and Sasuke put a hand over his nose and mouth. He didn't know what the cause of the stench was, but it was obviously something very bad...

He grunted when he reached the top, revealing a narrow hallway with slanted walls. It was obviously located in the roof itself. Faint slivers of moonlight could be seen from cracks in the shingles and wood, illuminating a little of the way. Sasuke activated his Sharingan, wanting to see. He gasped, stumbling back into Ino. The entire hallway was smothered in black spiritual energy. It was oozing down the sides and bubbling on the floor, like some grotesque, liquidised monster. Protruding from several areas of the energy were faint traces of other energies, barely recognisable as they were swallowed and regurgitated by the black ooze.

He deactivated his eyes, knowing that he wouldn't be able to step forward if he could see that. Ino was clutching onto his back, her body trembling in fear. He couldn't blame her. Even without his eyes, he could feel the intense aura of evil coating the hall.

"I said move it!" the clerk snapped, shoving them forward. Sasuke struggled to keep his balance, but managed. Slowly, he walked down the narrow hallway, cringing when he felt the scratchy feeling of spider webs on his cheeks. Ino was holding back her frightened cries, though several tears did leak from her eyes when she felt something crawl on her arm before she swatted it away. The walk seemed to take far too long, and every second was echoed with the frantic beating of their hearts, but finally they reached the end of the hallway. A thick door was in front of them, decorated with scratched in symbols and what looked like chants and spells written in blood.

"Go in," the clerk ordered sternly. Sasuke swallowed, gagging slightly at the smell that was emanating like a thick vapour from the door. Ino was vibrating on the spot from her fear, but she didn't let go of his shoulder as he reached out and started to push open the door.

It creaked noisily, the rusted hinges screaming in protest. The thin beams of moonlight that were washing in from outside trailed into the dark confines of the room, revealing a dirty, grime-stained tile floor, a shelf covered with dark shadows that looked frightening, a tub against the far wall and finally...

"Naruto!" Sasuke's eyes widened as he saw his blond chained to the wall, arms twisted behind his back. His face was covered in an inky black substance that dripped down his cheeks and onto his shirt. There were obvious tear tracks on his face, and a small puddle of what appeared to be blood and bile mixed together was at his feet.

"S...Sas..." Naruto tried to speak, but ended up coughing and hacking violently as more blood from his cut throat entered his mouth, and he spat it out onto the floor, gasping for breath.

"Naru!" Sasuke turned, growling viciously. "What the fuck did you do to him, you sick bastard_?_!" he roared.

Ino let out a short screech as Sasuke's head snapped to the side after being back handed by the clerk. He stumbled, hitting the wall and sliding down it slightly while his head spun.

"Shut up," the clerk drawled. He turned to Ino and roughly grabbed her by the neck. She choked, clawing at his hand, but he just forced her to walk backwards until she was next to Naruto. He pushed her back, putting the gun between her eyes. Tears ran down her cheeks and she whimpered as he pulled her left arm up, chaining it to the wall, before he did the same to her right arm. She was stuck. He also reached into her pocket, taking out the protective seal that was resting inside and tearing it up.

"Your turn," he said coldly, turning to Sasuke. The Uchiha was trying to stand, but his hand kept slipping on a wet substance smeared over the wall. He didn't have to think very hard to guess what it was...the room was practically bathed in blood, old and new. The clerk walked up to him, snatching his elbow and yanking him up. He struggled, trying to get free, but that only earned him another violent hit across the face. He was pushed backwards, hitting the wall.

"Son of a—" his curse was cut off as the barrel of the gun was shoved into his mouth. He kept still, glaring hatefully at the old man as his arms were pulled up one by one and chained to the wall. The gun was kept in his mouth, clicking against his teeth and leaving a bitter taste on his tongue.

"As I said, it's unfortunate," the clerk said, stepping back once he was finished, also destroying Sasuke's seal. "But it needs to be fed, and it's my duty to catch its meals."

"What is '_it'_?" Sasuke snarled, struggling against his restraints. They chafed against his skin, making him wince slightly. The clerk chuckled darkly, tapping the tip of the gun against Sasuke's nose.

"Something that's been in this house for ages...Something that hasn't eaten in quite a while."

There was a sudden creak, making Sasuke tense and the clerk whip around. Nothing had moved, but the air seemed to be highly charged.

"I better get out of here," the clerk muttered. He turned to the three teenagers chained to the wall, looking at them with a bitter smile on his face. "I am truly sorry. I didn't want it to be this way; you are all wonderful children, really. But I must fulfil my duty."

"You're going to die," Sasuke spat, glaring at him. "You're going to die, and when you do, I hope to God you become a ghost...because then I will hunt your spirit down, and torture you in the afterlife before I destroy you in the most painful way possible and send the remaining pieces to hell!"

The clerk stared at him as he ranted, his face carefully blank. But his eyes showed something akin to fear and sadness. Eventually, he just turned away, walking out the room and slamming the door shut, bathing them in darkness.

"Naruto!" Sasuke immediately turned to the blond, fighting against his restraints as much as he could. He managed to curve his body outwards, touching at Naruto's ankle with his feet. "Naruto, are you hurt? Did that bastard hurt you?"

Naruto shook his head, shivering from cold and fear. He coughed again, spitting up more blood before turning his head to where Sasuke's voice was coming from. His eyes had become accustomed to the dark, so he could faintly see Sasuke's outline and make out some features.

"N-No...I," he winced as his throat hurt with every word, "I didn't...even know...he was...behind it."

"He didn't take you here?" Ino asked, her voice shaky.

"No...I just woke up...I think that...dark shadow...took me," Naruto stopped, drawing in a ragged breath. His throat was on fire!

"Naruto, what's wrong? Why can't you talk?"

"Throat...cut..."

"What_?_!" Sasuke jerked violently, wishing more than anything he could just see Naruto, and hold him. He didn't know what was coming for them, but it was quite clear that they had been chained up and left as a meal for whatever was lurking in this hotel. From his knowledge, Maigos didn't eat humans...

"Inside...something cut...inside my throat," Naruto explained roughly. He closed his eyes, a few more tears leaking out. He was immensely happy that Sasuke was here, and Ino too. But any happiness at seeing them was snuffed out as he realized that now they were in the same boat as him. They were trapped, waiting to be eaten by that disgusting shadow monster from before.

"Dammit," Sasuke cursed, looking around in the darkness. He paused, an idea coming to him. "...Okay, I'm going to use my eyes to see if I can learn anything useful," he muttered.

Naruto jerked up, turning his head towards Sasuke in horror. "No! No, d-don't!"

He was certain that if Sasuke used his Sharingan, he would see visions of what had happened in this room in the past...Naruto didn't even want to think about the horrors that went on here, and if Sasuke was subjected to them...

"Don't—"

"Naruto, I may be able to see something that could save us!" Sasuke cut him off. He faced outward, closing his eyes. "I'm doing it."

"Teme!" Naruto began, panic in his tone.

Sasuke opened his eyes, the Sharingan glowing slightly in the dark room and spinning wildly before the three commas expanded.

* * *

_A blood chilling scream was cutting through the air, and Sasuke cringed as if he'd been physically hit. All around him, the room was shaking, flickering and crackling like a badly damaged video tape. It wasn't clearing up, and he wondered if this was because of how thick the dark spiritual energy was in the room. The screaming continued, softening before becoming loud. He twisted around, trying to see something amidst the grey, white and black blurs._

_His eyes bulged when he saw the wall that they were chained too. A young girl, the one who Naruto had chased into the forest, was hanging by her arms. She was screaming wildly, tears pouring from her eyes. The reason was identified as the pure black, clawed hand that was slowly but surely tearing her ankle off, jerking it back and forth to break the bone. Blood was spattering on the floor and the wall before finally her ankle was snapped off entirely._

_Sasuke spun away, unable to watch it only to yell out when he was faced with another scene, this time of a boy staring blankly as his intestines were pulled out of his stomach, feeding into a black mouth._

_Sick to his stomach, he spun around again, wanting to get out of here. Every time he turned, he was faced with another vision, each time with children of various ages getting eaten by the same black, shadow monster. Their screams and cries were deafening and overwhelming, mixing together and blending into a choir of terror. Sasuke's heart was pounding, his skin pasty white and his head spinning as he witnessed all these horrors take place in a blurry, static rush. He gripped his head, spinning away again only to freeze when he saw Naruto chained to the wall, his head down as the shadow loomed over him._

"_NO!" he yelled, watching in horror as the shadow ran its clawed hand over Naruto's face, smearing black blood and energy all over him before trailing its claw down his neck. He tried to run forwards, only to gasp when he felt something wrap around his arms and legs, stopping him. A glance down showed tendrils of the black energy coiling around his limbs, holding him in place. He looked up in panic and let out a scream when he saw the claw sink into Naruto's mouth, the blond thrashing violently to try and get it out while screaming._

_Before Sasuke could do more than answer the scream, the vision vanished, replaced with darkness. He stared ahead, wondering if the vision had ended and he was back in the real world._

_But then, right before him, a disfigured, mangled face came shooting from the blackness, coming straight for him._

"_DIE!"_

* * *

The back of his head hit the wall, his arms twisting as he jerked against the hold, crying out.

"Sasuke!" Ino and Naruto were both calling his name, and he tried his best to breathe. His chest was heaving as he gasped, moans escaping him as he fought his way out of the vision.

"Shit," he spat, blinking rapidly as his head spun. "Fuck..."

"Sasuke! Are you okay?" Naruto said, his voice gravelly. He spat out more blood after he spoke, but pushed aside the pain to focus on Sasuke.

Sasuke closed his mouth, swallowing back the bile as memories of the children's deaths replayed in his mind. He took several deep breaths, trying to calm down.

"...Yeah...I'm okay," he sighed eventually, his head throbbing as the remnants of the visions began to fade. "...That was a bad idea," he mumbled.

"Teme," Naruto huffed, letting his head hang down. "I told you..."

"Guys," Ino said, catching their attention. "Listen, I think..." she grunted slightly, the soft clank of metal hitting tile making the boys perk up. "I think I can get out of these chains," she continued, twisting her slender wrists. She could feel her hands slowly slipping, getting scratched but gradually making progress. "When I do, I'll unchain you guys and we can get out of here!"

"Ino, if you manage that, than you are officially awesome," Sasuke said, smirking slightly as he caught his breath. Naruto nodded in agreement and Ino gave a weak smile before focusing on her chains, twisting back and forth and trying to get free.

"I hope the others are okay," she muttered. "If what the old man said is true, they're getting attacked by the poltergeists by now."

* * *

Shikamaru dived, knocking Sakura out of the way as a heavy piece of equipment came flying from across the room. She screeched as they hit the floor, the object smashing through the window.

"Shikamaru!" Chouji yelled, trying to run to his friend. His attempt was foiled when the carpet under his foot was ripped aside; tripping him and making him fall flat on his face. He grunted, rolling over and gasping when he saw a painting falling towards him.

"Hyah!"

Tenten jumped, kicking out and managing to knock the object off course so that it hit a chair instead. Panting, she turned and helped the large boy to his feet. Chouji gave her a nod of thanks before they both rushed over to Shikamaru and Sakura, pulling them up.

"Dammit! Of all the times to get attacked!" Shikamaru growled, watching as a chair scattered across the room only to get kicked back by Tobi, who seemed to be awfully calm despite the many flying objects around them.

"All the screens have gone blank," Sakura said, flinching when something shattered against the wall a few feet away. "We have no way to tell if the others are okay!"

"Kakashi and Yahiko-senpai will be perfectly fine," Tobi said pleasantly, spinning around and round-house kicking an oncoming ornament. It flew back, falling out the already shattered window. "So will Deidara-senpai and Sasori no Danna! Kiba-kun and Hinata-chan are outside, so they're probably safe, and Neji-kun and Lee-kun know enough to keep themselves out of trouble," he continued, turning and giving them a hidden smile. "For now, we'll just deal with this one ourselves!"

"But none of us knows how to!" Tenten protested, and yelped when someone pulled her shoulder back and stopped her from getting her cheek stabbed by a rogue pen. She looked over her shoulder, nodding her thanks to Shino as he let go.

"How rude!" Tobi huffed, crossing his arms. "What do you think I am; some two-bit carnival act? I'm a bloody Uchiha, and I can totally deal with a single polterge-EEEEEEEIIIIIISST!" he ended up screaming the rest of his sentence as he was yanked into the air, swinging violently before slamming into the roof. "OWIE!"

Shikamaru gaped as Tobi was literally thrown across the room. "Shit!"

Before the mask-wearing man could hit the floor, several thin, glowing strings shot out towards him, catching him and holding him still. Tobi tilted his head to the side, waving jovially.

"Thanks Sasori no Danna!" he cheered.

"Hn," Sasori grunted, lowering his hand and, in turn, lowering Tobi too. He stepped further into the room, Deidara coming in behind him. A screen was whipped off the table, zooming towards the shorter man, but Sasori only flung out his hand, sending energy strings out and catching it before it could get within five feet of him. He flung it out the window, looking at Deidara.

"The protective barrier over this room was taken down from the outside. Only a human could have done that," he muttered. Deidara nodded, a deep frown on his face.

"If what Kakuzu told us is true, then we know whose fault that is, un," he muttered, walking over to the archway and sliding a seal onto the wall. A pulse beat through the air, and they heard an inhuman scream before the writhing figure of the poltergeist materialised in the centre of the room.

"Holy hell," Chouji gasped.

Sasori stepped forward, about to take care of it, when he was interrupted.

"Oh oh! Me me! Let me do it, Danna!" Tobi said, jumping from one foot to the other and waving his hand excitedly like a child wanting to give the answer.

Sasori spared him an exasperated look before nodding and stepping back. Tobi clapped, hopping forwards and putting his hands into a strange sign. He began to chant, his voice light and cheerful even as he muttered words in a language that made no sense to the others. But whatever he was doing was working as the poltergeist writhed and screeched again, lighting up. Small fires erupted around it, forming a circle in the air. Tobi raised his hands, chanting louder before he spread his arms in a sweeping gesture. The flaming circle imploded, smothering the poltergeist. An echoing scream filled the room before it vanished in a short explosion of red and black smoke.

Tobi dusted his hands off and laughed triumphantly. "Hahaha! Take that!"

Sasori rolled his eyes before turning to the others. "Is everyone okay?"

There were nods, and he sighed in relief.

"Earlier, you said Kakuzu called in," Shikamaru said, stepping forward and frowning. "What news did he have? Why didn't he call Kakashi?"

"He tried, but it looks like Kakashi and Yahiko are occupied somewhere else. He didn't answer," Sasori drawled, turning to face the lazy genius. "As for news, Kakuzu managed to dig up some history on this house."

"Apparently, there was a crazy guy who lived here many years ago, un," Deidara began, moving to the other archway and setting up another seal for safety. "The guy was really into the occult and often scared the townspeople, using his knowledge of black magic to curse anyone who crossed him. Eventually, the townspeople attacked him, and they ended up killing him, but he had a son who they left alive. A few years later, the people who were responsible for the guy's death ended up disappearing. And then, a few years after that, people continued to disappear...children, mostly. This pattern was repeated in a cycle of about every ten years, un."

"And this year is the start of the next cycle," Sasori added in, crossing his arms.

"How does that explain who took down the seals?" Tenten asked.

"It is because the son of that man was responsible for the disappearances, yes?" Shino asked, stepping forward.

Deidara shrugged. "There was no confirmation, but it certainly seems like it. The guy turned into a recluse after the disappearances, but records show he had a son too, un."

"Did Kakuzu get a name?" Shikamaru asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Un. He also dug up some information on the family...and he found out something interesting. This place has been a hotel for the last hundred and ten years...but it was only bought by the current manager at the start of this year," Deidara explained, tilting his head to Sasori. The red head nodded, looking towards the archway.

"The original owner of the hotel stayed here," he murmured. "And they are most likely responsible for the haunting."

"You mean, the original owner is a ghost?" Sakura asked, not understanding. When Sasori shook his head, she frowned. "Then...I don't get it!"

"He means," Shikamaru said, closing his eyes and clenching his jaw as he fit all the pieces into place in his head. "He means that the son, of the son, of the psycho who started this whole mess, is still alive and in this hotel...and there is only one person here who could be that person."

"The old clerk," Shino said, nodding his head. "He's the grandson of the first owner of this house."

"Whatever's lurking in this hotel, poltergeists and Maigos aside, it's something that's been here for over a hundred years," Sasori said, looking upwards. "A monster that has a ten year feeding cycle is my best guess."

"F-feeding cycle..." Sakura gasped, her hands coming up to her mouth. "T-then...Naruto is—"

"He's still alive," Tobi said quickly, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Cycle-feeding monsters keep their prey alive for a long time, eating off of them slowly, bit by bit to make them last longer before hibernating again!"

If anything his words made Sakura feel worse. Her skin was pale and she began to shake. Deidara scowled, walking up and smacking Tobi upside the head.

"Owie!"

Shaking his head at the whining man, Deidara placed his hands on Sakura's shoulders and guided her to a chair.

"He'll be fine, un! We'll find him, and kill this monster!" he said with certainty in his voice. Sakura swallowed, but nodded and tried to smile.

"For now we should find that damn clerk," Shikamaru said. He glanced around at the shattered screens, internally wincing at how much money it was going to take to replace it all. Kakuzu was going to have a hernia when he saw the bill. "If he's really the grandson then he knows what's in this house...he's probably the one who helps it get fed."

"Oh God," Sakura moaned, placing her hands over her face.

"Tobi, stay here with Sakura and Tenten. Shino, Chouji and Shikamaru, you go outside and get Hinata and Kiba. Deidara, set up some more seals and then go find Neji and Lee. I'm going to go help Kakashi and tell him the situation. If anyone sees the clerk, I don't care what you have to do, you grab him," Sasori ordered sternly.

"What about Sasuke and Ino?" Sakura asked, looking up. "They were on the top floor!"

"...I'll go get them after I speak to Kakashi," Sasori said. He looked around, waiting for complaints. When none came, he gave a curt nod and turned, rushing out of the room with the others on his heels.

They had to hurry.

* * *

Ino groaned as she pulled and tugged. Her arms were in an awkward position, so it was hard to tug properly, but she was definitely making progress.

"Just a bit...more," she wheezed. Sasuke was keeping his ears perked for any signs of something coming. Naruto was watching Ino carefully, his eyes occasionally sweeping over the room. His throat felt much better than before, and he guessed that the scratches had stopped bleeding at least a little since he didn't have to spit up blood nearly as often.

"Come on," Ino growled out, sweat dripping down her forehead. There was a clank before suddenly her hands slipped free, and she stumbled forwards. "I did it!"

"Yes!" Sasuke cheered, "Quick, unchain me!"

Ino rushed over, her fingers fiddling with the chains around his hands. Luckily they were a simple latch type chain, but it was impossible to unlatch it if you were the one inside it. She fumbled in the dark, but managed to get him free. The two of them hurried to let Naruto out too, with Ino working at his feet and Sasuke getting his hands free.

The moment the chains came off, Naruto fell. Sasuke only just managed to catch him, and he cradled him close, murmuring soothing words into his ear as he rocked him slightly.

"We need to get out of here quickly! Before the monster gets here—" Ino was cut off when the sound of something wet splashing onto the floor filled the room. The three of them froze, their heads turning to look towards the tub against the wall. Naruto started to tremble as something rose up from the depths of the inky liquid. Sasuke held him tighter, edging backwards.

"..Run...Run!" he said, tugging on Ino's shoulder. They turned, rushing for the door. Ino reached it first, since she wasn't supporting Naruto. Her hand shot out for the handle, but just before she could grab it, a dark shadow rose up from the floor. She screamed, jerking her hand back. The shadow moved, swooping forwards and lashing out. Three slashes appeared in Ino's shirt, across her chest. She yelped, stumbling back and managing to avoid getting cut properly.

"Shit!"

Sasuke pulled both blonds back, trying to think of a way out. He didn't know of any chant or spell powerful enough for this thing, and he still didn't have enough control over his Sharingan to use it in battle.

Naruto was leaning against him, worn and exhausted from being held captive for so long. His legs trembled with the effort to stay standing, and he was staring at the creature fearfully. His hand was on his stomach, the seal burning on his skin. His eyes had changed, giving him a clear view of the room.

The creature before him was still like a shadow, but he could make out a head and two long, jagged arms. It seemed to have pointed ears, and a wide mouth filled with rows of cracked and razor sharp teeth were visible. It resembled a mutated man, right out of some horror film. Black spiritual energy was oozing off its skin, dripping to the floor like blood before sliding back towards its body and repeating the motion.

"What're we going to do?" Ino whimpered.

The shadow moved, vanishing in an instant.

"Where'd it go_?_!" Sasuke yelled, whipping his head from side to side. Ino did the same, little gasps of terror escaping her as she tried to find it. Naruto turned his head, looking towards the right. His eyes widened as he saw the monster lunging for them...for Sasuke.

"SASUKE!"

Sasuke felt a hand push him forward, and he slipped on the floor. Someone was dragged down with him, and a shriek let him know it was Ino. They both landed on their stomachs, their faces smashing against the floor. Sasuke gagged when he tasted filth and blood in his mouth, and he spat out the moment he could. There was a cry behind him and he jerked up, turning around.

"NARUTO!"

Naruto was in the air, being held up by a mass of black shadow and ooze that was slowly seeping over his body, swallowing him up once again. His hand reached out, his head turned towards them and even in the dark Sasuke could clearly see the terrified blue eyes looking at him, begging for him to help. His mouth was open, but he couldn't scream as the blackness around him seeped into his mouth.

"NO NARUTO!" Sasuke pushed himself up, crying out when he slipped and banged his chin on the ground. But he ignored it and pushed up again, leaping forwards and grabbing at Naruto's hand.

"NARUTO!"

He missed.

Ino screamed as she watched Naruto vanish into the midst of the shadow, and her scream was only outdone by Sasuke's voice.

"NOOOOOOO!"

The shadow turned to them, a mouth appearing amidst the blackness. It stretched into a wide, wicked grin. A demonic cackle filled the air as the shadow shifted and expanded. They caught glimpses of blond hair and tan skin before they vanished again, swallowed by darkness.

Sasuke let out a roar, lunging forwards. He didn't know what he was going to do, but he had to do something...

"Sasuke!" Ino shrieked, seeing the boy rush towards the creature before them. She hopelessly tried to grab him and stop him from what she was sure was a suicide mission. "Stop!"

"NARUTO!"

A black, clawed fist shot out, slamming into his stomach and knocking him right off his feet. He coughed, winded, as he landed on his back, sliding along the floor until he was back by Ino. She pulled him up, about to say something when another fist reached out, grabbing her by the hair. She screeched and Sasuke quickly grabbed onto her legs, stopping her from being pulled backwards.

'_Dammit! Dammit! Naruto!_' he thought, struggling to stop Ino from getting eaten, but wanting to rush over and try to save Naruto again. There was no way the blond was dead...not after everything they'd gone through...

"NARUTO!"

Light flooded the room, briefly rendering them both blind. Ino felt the grip on her hair vanish and she fell to the floor with a pained yip. Sasuke raised a hand, trying to see where the source of light had come from. His eyes widened when he saw that there was a flaming shape circling the monster. It thrashed and screamed, its head tilting back and its mouth opening wide. The flames wrapped around it, squeezing tightly as it fought back.

Sasuke gaped, staring with wide eyes. A long arm thrashed out, just missing his face, only to be followed by a flame that did slide over his skin. He hissed at the burn, moving back hurriedly and dragging Ino with him. She was watching the spectacle in shock.

"W-What's happening?" she stammered, unable to comprehend what was going on. Was this good or bad?

Sasuke had a hand over the area of his face that had gotten burnt, but he kept his eyes on the monster as it was attacked by the flames.

"...Naruto is happening," he said softly. He didn't know if Ino heard him or not, but either way the girl seemed to be mesmerized.

There was another scream as the monster slammed against the wall, knocking over the shelf and sending the multiple bones scattering to the floor in small, flaming heaps. The walls were starting to burn as the black energy was set ablaze, and Sasuke stared as things started to become clearer and...cleaner.

'_Are the flames...? They're cleansing it! The flames are cleansing all the energy!_' he thought in shock. He hadn't expected that the Kyuubi would be able to do that. After all, how could a demon be able to cleanse evil?

'_Unless...it's because of Naruto's will that it's cleansing it? Could he have that much influence?_' he wondered, lifting a hand to shield his eyes when everything got even brighter. Suddenly a beam of light shot out right from the centre of the shadowy monster. Sasuke covered his eyes as more joined the first, until it looked like a miniature sun was being hidden by a black cage. Ino had covered her eyes too, but she could still see the brightness through her eyelids. She could also feel the warmth of the fires and the light, and it was something that washed over her skin like a warm blanket.

Sasuke strained himself to look, wanting to witness everything. The monster was screaming continuously, writhing violently before suddenly it snapped up straight. The most chilling, blood curdling scream filled the air, and Sasuke was certain that everyone in the hotel would have heard it. The scream continued on as the blackness surrounding the creature started to burst, like thick tar bubbles. But instead of splattering everywhere like they had before, the bubbles burst and trailing flames were what fell out, only to vanish again. More and more bubbles appeared until the entire shadow was nothing but a screaming, boiling, bubbling mass.

Sasuke knew what was coming, and he hunched over Ino to offer some protection as, with a final scream, the monster exploded. A wave of heat rushed over them, and Sasuke grunted as he felt his skin burn slightly and Ino curled up, feeling the same effects.

It soon passed, the heat fading away slightly and the light dimming down. Sasuke opened his eyes, looking up.

Naruto was lying on the floor, covered in dirt and grime and blood. However, his eyes were wide open and his chest was heaving, loud pants sounding in the air.

Sasuke stumbled upwards while Ino sat up, her eyes wide as she stared at the room. There were still small flames burning on the walls, ridding them of the black ooze that clung to the tile. The flames allowed a substantial amount of light, and she got to her knees, looking around. She could barely believe she was alive.

She turned, watching as Sasuke rushed over to his blond. He fell to his knees beside Naruto, grabbing his face and pulling him into a deep, rough kiss. Naruto's arms flailed a bit, but Sasuke didn't relent. He moved his lips over Naruto's in an almost angry fashion, his tongue dipping down and taking in everything it could from the other's mouth. When he finally pulled away with a gasp, panting and staring into Naruto's eyes, he grinned.

"I fucking love you, you moron!" he said, eyes shining with unshed tears of happiness.

Naruto looked up at him incredulously, still disoriented. "I love you too," he said before slowly looking around. "And...I don't really know what just happened, but...I take it that it was something good?" he asked.

Sasuke laughed as Ino came up beside them, crouching down.

"It was better than good, it was brilliant. You saved us, Dobe," he said, placing a hand on Naruto's stomach and smiling at him. Naruto blinked rapidly, looking at Sasuke and then at Ino who shrugged.

"I don't know what that was...but whatever you did, it seems to have destroyed that monster," she said, smiling at him. He blinked again, turning back to Sasuke.

"...Wait...I killed it?" he asked in shock. Sasuke nodded, leaning down and rubbing his nose against Naruto's in an Eskimo kiss. Ino giggled.

"Yeah Dobe...you killed it."

"...I'm awesome," Naruto breathed. Ino laughed loudly and Sasuke rolled his eyes before kissing Naruto again.

"Wait!" Naruto shoved him away, sitting upright. "The others! The old man! We have to warn them, and stop that guy!"

Sasuke's eyes widened, and Ino scrambled to her feet.

"Come on!" she urged. They boys climbed up hurriedly, Naruto tripping slightly. Sasuke held onto his arm, keeping him upright as they rushed to the door, yanking it open and hurrying down the steps.

* * *

Every hair on the back of Kakashi's neck stood up as he heard the most frightening, inhuman scream ever. He actually stopped in the middle of running, listening to it. Beside him, Sasori and Yahiko stopped too. They had only just finished off the poltergeist, and were now rushing to find Sasuke and Ino. Sasori had explained everything while they fought, and Kakashi was feeling slightly murderous.

'_When I find that damn old bastard..._' he thought darkly, looking around. '_What is that scream?_'

"Something's happening on the top floor," Yahiko said, looking up at the ceiling. His normally bloodshot eyes had changed, rings appearing in the pupils and spreading outwards. "I can feel two very powerful energies clashing somewhere far above."

"The Kyuubi," Kakashi mumbled under his breath. Sasori sent him a glance before starting to run again. The other two followed him hurriedly, turning around the corner and racing up the stairs. The scream died away, and Kakashi felt some like a pulse seem to echo through the house. He stumbled on the stairs, grabbing the railing and taking a deep breath.

"Kakashi! Are you alright?" Sasori asked, stopping on the top step and turning to him. His face was blank, but a shine of concern was in his eyes. Yahiko also stopped, placing a hand on Kakashi's shoulder.

"...Yeah, I'm fine," he said, feeling the sensation stop. He quickly shook his head, gathering himself before starting to run again. "Come on, we need to hurry!"

They sprinted down one hallway, passing room after room. Sasori turned the corner and his eyes widened when he saw Neji and Lee further down the hall, their hands up. They had their faces to the wall and the old clerk was behind them, a gun in his hand as he pointed it at them. Sasori heard the faint click of the hammer being pulled back, and he panicked.

"No!"

Kakashi lunged forwards, running faster than he had before. His hair flew out of his eyes, the red Sharingan whirling as the sound of a gunshot echoed down the hall.

Neji heard the gunshot go off, and flinched. No pain assaulted him, and he gasped, turning his head. '_Not Lee—'_

He stopped, seeing Lee turned to face him with a similar look of horror. When they both realized that neither one of them had been shot they turned to face the clerk. He was stumbling back, the hand holding the gun jerking as he fought to get rid of a thin string of spiritual energy attached to his wrist. The air between them and him was shimmering and circling, and Neji saw the tip of a bullet vanishing into the strange vortex in the middle. He turned his head, a relieved sigh falling from his lips as he saw Kakashi come to a stop, groaning and covering his left eye. Yahiko was supporting him while Sasori was tugging his arm back, trying to make the clerk drop the gun.

"Dammit!" the old man cursed, ripping his arm forward. Sasori grunted, tripping and falling forwards. He lost his concentration and the already thin string of energy vanished as he hit the ground.

"Sasori-san!" Lee called. He sensed movement to his right and turned, dodging backwards and avoiding the fist aimed for his face. Neji pulled him back, heading towards the others as the old clerk rounded on them, gun aimed at their heads.

"You and your meddling people!" the old man spat, looking crazed. He took a small step back, glaring at them. "This hotel, this house...it belongs to my family! MINE! The fool who owns it now is not worthy to have it! He doesn't realize the secrets this place holds...the horrors! I've had to work so hard to keep it from being discovered!"

"You...you've been protecting the monster?" Kakashi asked, glaring through his good eye at the old man. "You've known about it from the start?"

"Of course I have!" the clerk snarled, thrusting the gun at them angrily. "I grew up here! My father told me all about it...about my grandfather's pet! About the Shadow that he summoned with his magic!"

"You mean the monster he made a contract with?" Sasori said, climbing to his feet. "Your grandfather made a contract with a monster, and when he was killed, the contract moved to your father...and then it moved to you when he died."

The old clerk glared at them. "My father passed the secrets onto me. Our family has always had wealth, good fortune...all because of the strength of our pet. But, like anything in life, it's a give and take situation. We get good fortune...and **It** takes sacrifices."

"Sacrifices?" Neji repeated, his voice low. "...The children. All those Maigos are the children that you and your father had kidnapped and sacrificed to maintain your wealth?" he asked, disgust dripping in his voice.

"I did what I had to!" the clerk yelled, and a shot rang out. Neji yelped as Lee pushed him aside before being knocked backwards as the bullet hit his shoulder.

"LEE!"

Lee gripped his shoulder, hissing softly but he looked up. "I'm fine. It only gazed me," he assured, putting pressure on the wound to stop the bleeding.

"You son of a bitch," Neji growled, about to lunge for the man. Kakashi reached out, grabbing his shoulder and stopping him. He stared at the old man intensely, taking in his face and the tremble to his hands.

"...You don't have to do this. We can help you," he said soothingly. The others glanced at him questioningly, and he waved their questions off with a small motion of his fingers. "We can undo the contract your grandfather made. You won't have to do unspeakable things for that monster anymore."

The old man stared at him, his face open. They could all see the pain and sadness in his eyes as the hand holding the gun trembled. Kakashi kept his gaze soft, his hands in clear view. The others stood back, waiting tensely for the next move.

"Let us help you," Kakashi urged gently.

A single tear ran down the old man's cheek, his lips trembling and pulling up as he remembered all he had done, all the children he had stolen from their families and beds and chained to the wall in the bloody room upstairs. He thought back to all the times he'd watched the police, called by the parents, fall under a trance and say that there was no way the children were still in the hotel. He remembered all the distraught mothers and fathers, walking away and leaving large parts of their hearts in his hotel as money continued to come in, fame continued to spread, and more children came to their deaths...

"...It's too late for that," he said, his voice trembling. "I've been doing this for so long...for the past eighty years, and I still have a long way to go. The monster keeps us alive longer than normal people," he stiffened his hand, staring at them with a resolute glint in his eye. "I can't be helped. And I can't let you and your friends leave."

Kakashi's shoulders hunched as he prepared to lunge. However, before he could, something caught his eye. He looked at it over the old man's shoulder and froze solid, eyes widening. Neji, Lee, Sasori and Yahiko did the same, all staring at the same spot.

The old man noticed their gazes had switched from him to a spot behind him. His eyes widened when he heard a soft, childish giggle. Slowly, fearfully, he turned his head.

A young girl was standing behind him, staring up at him with black blood running down her face and staining the front of her dress. Her ankle was broken and twisted, the bone cracked and jutting out. She tilted her head, her image flickering as she stared up at him with a blank face. He gasped, his hand shaking as he stepped away from her.

"No...You..." he stammered. There was another laugh, and he looked to the side in time to see a young boy emerge from the wall, crawling out of it as if it were a hole. He looked up, a wicked smile on his round face while empty eyes bled. Another child appeared beside him, her hair braided back and her arm torn off.

Kakashi urged the others to step back, watching in shock and horror as more and more Maigos and spirits appeared, surrounding the old man who was turning on the spot. He was making incoherent noises, looking back and forth between the children with wide, terrified eyes.

"No...Stay away! Stay away from me!" he yelled, shooting at the nearest ghost. The bullet slammed into the floor, going right through the girl's forehead. The clerk let out a moan of terror, the gun falling from his hands.

The children surged forwards suddenly, their hands grabbing onto him. He screamed, thrashing against them but they just kept coming, clawing at every inch of him they could find. Kakashi winced, watching as he was knocked down. He almost took a step forward, but a hand stopped him. He turned to see Yahiko holding him back, staring dispassionately at the clerk on the floor.

"He is beyond our help. This isn't a random ghost attack," he said softly. "...These children are getting their revenge in order to move on."

Kakashi swallowed, turning and watching as the old man was lifted up. He struggled screaming out and trying to fight them off but they wouldn't let go. Slowly, the children dragged and carried him towards the window.

"No! NO!"

The window slammed open, curtains flapping wildly in a breeze that no one else felt. The air was cold, their breaths coming out in small puffs before them. The soft, echoing shuffles of feet on the carpet and faint, childish giggles were filling the hallway.

The clerk screamed as he reached the window, his arms going out of it. He tried to reach back, trying to grab onto something, and for a moment he looked up and caught sight of three people coming down the hall.

"...Impossible," he breathed, his eyes wide as Naruto, Sasuke and Ino stopped a several feet away, watching with wide eyes.

Seconds later, he was screaming as the children shoved him out of the top floor window before vanishing in a burst of white smoke, and he fell to the hard, unforgiving ground below.

Kakashi's head turned as he heard the scream stop abruptly. A small bubble of regret dwelled in his chest, knowing that he hadn't been able to save a man who hadn't ever wanted to be in such a horrid position.

"...Holy shit."

Kakashi looked up, gasping when he saw the three teenagers standing on the other side of the hall. He shook Yahiko's hand off and ran to them, pulling all three into a tight hug.

"Thank God you guys are safe!" he said, squeezing them. Ino laughed slightly, a few tears in her eyes as she hugged him back. Sasuke looked away awkwardly, and Naruto smiled weakly.

"Sorry for worrying you," he said and Kakashi laughed, leaning back and clapping a hand on the blond's shoulder.

"As long as you're all okay now, I can forgive you," he teased with a smile. Sasuke scoffed, but he was grinning and Naruto closed his eyes, leaning against the raven and sighing heavily.

"...Is it over now?" he asked softly, cracking his eyes open again and staring at the gathered group. Kakashi smiled while Sasuke kissed his forehead gently.

"Yeah. It's over now."

"HOLY CRAPOLA!"

Everyone jumped when Kiba's loud shout sounded from out the window.

"OH GOD! DEAD GUY HERE! DEAD GUY! HELP! I DON'T KNOW HOW TO DEAL WITH THIS! HINATA, HOLD ME!"

"I'd better go stop him from having a heart attack," Neji muttered. Kakashi laughed, waving him away as he and Lee walked towards the stairs while Sasori leant out the window and told Kiba to shut up. Kakashi turned back to the three in front of him and smiled.

"Let's go home."

* * *

"Ah man," Kotonaha Luka sighed, playing with the brim of his police cap. He pulled it off, brushing some hair out of his eyes before facing the men in front of him. "This is going to be a little hard to clean up."

"Sorry for the trouble," Kakashi said sheepishly, turning and watching as the coroners wheeled the corpse of the old man to the truck. "What are you going to write on the report?"

Luka huffed. "I don't know. It's not exactly like I can state the cause of death as 'Defenestration via angry ghost kids', now can I?" he said, frowning.

"Ah, not all of them were ghosts. Some were Maigos, un," Deidara piped in. Luka sent him a look and the blond giggled before turning away with a mumbled apology.

"Anyway, I'll take care of it somehow, so don't worry," Luka said heavily. "For now, I suggest you get your team ready to leave before my boss decides that we could question you some more," he warned. Kakashi nodded gratefully and Luka tipped his hat to him before walking off to the other cops.

Kakashi watched him go before turning back to the hotel, looking up at it.

"So, case closed?"

He turned, looking at Itachi as the man walked up to him with Kisame behind him. The taller man had a bandage around his head and looked a little pale, but he was smiling and walking.

"Should you really be out of hospital so soon?" Kakashi asked sceptically, crossing his arms. Kisame smirked, waving his hand.

"No, but since when do I listen to doctors?"

"Tch, since when you do listen, period," Itachi scoffed. Kisame pouted and Kakashi chuckled as the three of them started to walk towards the hotel.

"So, Kakashi," Itachi began, stroking his chin as they stopped on the front porch. "I was chatting to Tobi earlier," he began and Kakashi tensed. Behind Itachi, Kisame made an 'oooh' face and sliced his hand over his neck, letting Kakashi know how busted he was.

"...R-really?"

"Yes. So," Itachi stared at him blankly, "Naruto got kidnapped by a human eating monster, and then my brother was held at gunpoint by a psychotic old man, and chained to the same wall Naruto was, waiting to be eaten by said monster, and through all this, you were elsewhere walking around with Yahiko...and let it all happen?"

Kakashi held his hands up, panic clear on his face. "N-Now 'Tachi, let's just take a moment to think rationally-OOF!" he doubled over as Itachi's fist sunk into his gut.

Kisame laughed, moving out the way while Itachi started to lecture the silver haired man and threaten valuable parts of his anatomy with sudden death. He almost got hit in the face when the door opened and Sasori came out with Tobi by his side, carrying several bags.

"Whoa, careful there!" Kisame said, using his hand to stop the door before it could hit him. Sasori blinked at him before grunting and carrying on.

"You should be in hospital."

"You should be nicer to the injured person."

"Bite me."

"No thanks, I don't want Deidara to get pissed at me!" Kisame called after the shorter man, snickering when Sasori flipped him off over his shoulder. Tobi was skipping after him, jabbering on about something or another as they loaded the bags into the car.

Slowly, members of the crew started to file out of the hotel, carrying their bags and talking amongst themselves. Ino was describing the events that happened in the bloody room to Sakura, who was listening with a look of mixed awe and horror on her face. Shikamaru and Chouji were talking to Deidara about all the equipment they were going to have to buy and replace. Tenten was helping Lee pack his things since his arm was a little useless for the time being. Neji and Shino were talking to some of the cops, giving the same story the others had. Kiba and Hinata were sitting on the porch, hands linked and talking softly. Hinata said something that made Kiba grin and kiss her, in turn making her blush and smile. The sight reminded him of...

"Hey, where're Naruto and Sasuke anyway?" he asked, turning around and trying to spot them amidst the crowd gathered outside.

Kiba looked up, also trying to spot them.

"Sasuke-kun said something about Naruto needing to fulfil some promise he made? Something about letting Sasuke do something if he agreed to let Naruto join the team? They went back inside about twenty minutes ago," Sakura said, having overheard the question.

"What promise? Ugh, whatever there's no time for that now," Kiba said, standing up. "We're leaving in a few minutes. I'll go find them," he turned walking up the steps.

"I'll come with. I want to do a last sweep of the house," Yahiko said. Kiba spared him a look before rolling one shoulder.

"'Kay, whatever."

The two of them walked through the empty halls of the hotel. Now that the poltergeist and the monster had been taken care of, and the clerk had died, the owner was going to change it from a hotel to a haunted attraction, using the story of the clerk's family as the main attraction. Kiba thought it was a little shallow, but there wasn't anything they could do about it. Their job was to clear the spirits out, not to preserve the family privacy or dignity.

"I think they're in the room they were assigned. I sense their energies there," Yahiko said, heading up the stairs. Kiba nodded, jogging up the stairs and speed walking down the hall. They could hear muffled voices coming from the room that Sasuke and Naruto had been assigned, and Kiba walked up to the door with Yahiko behind him.

"Yo! Sasuke, Naruto! Come on, we gotta go—" Kiba stopped dead as the door opened fully, revealing the room. All his eyes took in was the bed, the ruffled blankets and the two obviously naked people who were doing something very obviously private...and they hadn't noticed him.

"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Kiba turned and ran for all he was worth, clawing at his face hard enough to leave angry red scratches. "I'M BLINDED! OH GOD, MY EEEEYYESSS!"

Yahiko gaped like a fish, stepping back as he stared into the room. He stared for a second more before he snapped into action, grabbing the handle and pulling the door shut, though not in time to stop himself from hearing—

"Oh God, Sasuke!"

He slammed the door and stepped back, pressing a hand over his eyes. Somewhere far away, in a small bedroom, his brother Nagato was hunching over and rubbing at his eyes, moaning about how what has been seen can never be unseen.

Yahiko shook his head, his face a little red. He looked up, staring at the door that separated him from the two active teenagers. He recalled what he'd seen just before he closed the door.

Sasuke had noticed him when he looked over his sweaty shoulder after Kiba's screaming. And Sasuke, the little shit, had only smirked at him cheekily before the door had closed, blocking the rest from view.

Yahiko sighed irritably, deciding that he would start with the upper levels. "Damn kids," he mumbled grouchily.

When it was eventually time to leave, and everyone was assembled-"I HATE YOU SASUKE! I HATE YOU SO MUCH!" "Hn, whatever Kiba. It's your fault anyway."- they got into their cars, driving passed the police cars, ambulances and reaching the dirt road, leaving the now clear, spirit-free mansion behind.

* * *

**Because, naturally, I have to torture Kiba at some point by scarring him for life...poor baby. ;D**

**I hope you all enjoyed it! ^_^ Thank you for reading, and reviews would be very appreciated! Until next time~  
**


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